ABC by Lawrence Weiss, 2018
ABC
France, U.S.A.
HISTORY AND SONG NOTES
ABC, also known as The Alphabet Song, is a traditional favorite with a multi-cultural history. The tune originated in France in the 18th century as the folksong Ah! vous dirai-je, maman. The melody is used as the basis of other folksongs in addition to ABC: for instance Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, and also appears within several classical compositions, including Mozart’s piano piece Twelve Variations on Ah vous dirai-je, Maman, also known as Twinkle Variations. The words to ABC were first published in 1835 in Boston.
This song works well as a group percussion activity, the children can show the beat of the music on small percussion instruments, drums, or by using their hands to make sound. Click here to read more about group instrument playing.
This song also works well as a song for beautiful group singing, particularly since this song is familiar to most young children and can be sung with confidence. Click here to read more about singing.