The ABC Song explained

"The ABC Song" is the best-known song used to recite the English alphabet in alphabetical order. It is commonly used to teach the alphabet to children in English-speaking countries. "The ABC Song" was first copyrighted in 1835 by Boston music publisher Charles Bradlee. The melody is from a 1761 French music book and is also used in other nursery rhymes like "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", while the author of the lyrics is unknown. Songs set to the same melody are also used to teach the alphabets of other languages.

History

The melody of "The ABC Song" was first published in the French book of music Les Amusements d’une Heure et Demy () (1761) without lyrics. It was adapted in Mozart's Twelve Variations and used in many nursery rhymes around the world, including "Ah! vous dirai-je, maman", "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and later "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep", before being used in this song.[1] The author of the lyrics is unknown.[2]

"The ABC Song" was first copyrighted in 1835 by Boston music publisher Charles Bradlee under the title "The A.B.C., a German air with variations for the flute with an easy accompaniment for the piano forte."[3] The melody was attributed to 18th-century composer Louis Le Maire.[4]

"The ABC Song" is commonly used in preschools across English-speaking countries. Due to the speed at which 'L, M, N, O, P' is spoken, it is a common misconception among children still learning the alphabet to believe that it is in fact its own letter called "elemenopee". Some have proposed teaching slower versions of the song to avoid this issue, but attempts to do so have been criticized for lacking the end rhymes and the L, M, N, O, P" part being an essential part of the song.[5] [6] The television series Sesame Street has covered the song many times, collaborating with popular artists such as Stevie Wonder, Katy Perry, Nina Simone and Usher.[7]

Composition and variations

Lyrics: (each line represents two measures, or eight beats)

A, B, C, D, E, F, G...

H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P... (; "L, M, N, O" spoken twice as quickly as rest of rhyme)

Q, R, S.../ T, U, V... (; pause between S and T, though in some variants, "and" is inserted)

W... X.../ Y and(/&) Z. (; pause between X and Y, and W and X last for two beats)

Now I know my ABCs.

Next time, won't you sing with me?[8]

\relative c' \addlyrics

Lyrics for the alternate Zed version: (each line represents two measures, or eight beats)

A, B, C, D, E, F, G...

H, I, J, K, L, M, N...

O, P, Q, R, S, T, U…

V, W... X, Y and(/&) Z. (; W lasts for two beats)

Now I know my ABCs.

Next time, won't you sing with me?

\relative c' \addlyrics

Pronunciation of "Z"

In American English, the dialect in mind by the composer, the letter name for Z is pronounced /ziː/ (Zee), but in most other anglophone countries, the letter name is pronounced /zɛd/ (Zed). In such dialects, the absent Zee-rhyme is generally not missed, although while singing the song, some children may accommodate for Zee which they would otherwise not use on a regular basis. Variants of the song exist to accommodate Zed. One such variation is shown below:[9] [10]

\addlyrics

a-b-c-d-e-f-g

h-i-j-k-l-m-n

o-p-q-r-s-t-u

v-w-x-y-z(ed)

This version has no closing line and the tune is modified accordingly. There is no lengthening of the W in this version.

Backwards alphabet

Several versions exist covering the alphabet backwards, i.e. Z to A. One version is shown below.

z-y-x and(/&) w

v-u-t, s-r-q

p-o-n-m-l-k-j

i-h-g-f-e-d-c-b-a

Now you know your ZYXs

I bet that's not what you expected![11] The e-d-c-b part is as fast as the l-m-n-o part in the normal alphabet song.

Versions for other languages

The same melody used for "The ABC Song" has also been used for the German, French, and Arabic alphabets.[12] A French-language version of the song is also taught in Canada, with generally no alterations to the melody except in the final line that requires adjustment to accommodate the two-syllable pronunciation of the French y.

See also

Traditional alphabet songs in other languages

Notes and References

  1. Book: Fuld, James J. . The Book of World-famous Music: Classical, Popular, and Folk . . 2000 . 9780486414751 . 5th . 593594 . en . 1966.
  2. Web site: Dwyer . Rachael . June 14, 2017 . Curious Kids: Who made the alphabet song? . June 24, 2023 . The Conversation.
  3. Web site: Uitti . Jacob . June 15, 2023 . The Meaning Behind the ABCs of "The Alphabet Song" . June 24, 2023 . American Songwriter.
  4. Book: Lynch, Jack . . 2016 . 9780802777942 . . 50 . en.
  5. Web site: Fortin . Jacey . 2019-10-30 . How Do We Sing Our ABC's? L-M-N-O-Please Not Like That . limited . June 24, 2023 . . en.
  6. Bruner . Raisa . October 29, 2019 . The People Have Spoken and They Don't Want This Updated Alphabet Song Remix . June 24, 2023 . Time.
  7. News: Ryzik . Melena . 2019-09-27 . How 'Sesame Street' Keeps the ABCs Fresh, Every Single Time . en-US . The New York Times . limited . 2023-06-24 .
  8. Web site: Listen to the song sung . RealPlayer. https://web.archive.org/web/20070928033936/http://evaeaston.com/pr/media/r/alpha-song.ra . 28 September 2007.
  9. Web site: Definition of ZED. 2020-10-29. www.merriam-webster.com. en.
  10. Web site: Zed Definition of Zed by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of Zed. https://web.archive.org/web/20200807183749/https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/zed. dead. 7 August 2020. 2020-10-29. Lexico Dictionaries English. en.
  11. Book: Schiller. Pamela Byrne. Willis. Clarissa. School Days: 28 Songs and Over 300 Activities for Young Children. 2006. Gryphon House. 978-0-87659-019-5. 26.
  12. Web site: 2018-10-02 . Who Wrote The Alphabet Song? . 2023-06-24 . . en-US.
  13. https://news.microsoft.com/stories/people/children-sing-the-adlam-alphabet.html Children sing the ADLaM alphabet

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