The ABC Song: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Song that teaches an alphabet}}
{{short description|Song that teaches an alphabet}}
{{redirect|Alphabet song|other songs|Alphabet (disambiguation)#Music}}
{{redirect-multi|3|Alphabet song|The ABC|Elemenopee||ABC song (disambiguation)|and|ABC (disambiguation)#Music|and|LMNOP (disambiguation){{!}}LMNOP|and|Alphabet (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|The ABC|other uses|ABC (disambiguation){{!}}ABC}}
{{other uses|ABC song (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}


[[File:Alphabet song.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Music for the alphabet song including some common variations on the lyrics]]
[[File:Alphabet song.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Music for the alphabet song including some common variations on the lyrics]]
"'''The ABC Song'''"{{Efn|"The ABC Song" is also referred to as "'''Now I Know My ABCs'''", "'''The ABC'''", "'''ABC Song'''", "'''ABCs'''" {{IPAc-en|ˌ|eɪ|.|b|iː|ˈ|s|iː|z}} or "'''ABC'''" {{IPAc-en|ˌ|eɪ|.|b|iː|ˈ|s|iː}}, as well as "'''The Alphabet Song'''", "'''The Alphabet'''", "'''Alphabet Song'''" or "'''Alphabet'''".}} 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 rhyme]]s 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.
"'''The ABC Song'''"{{Efn|"The ABC Song" is also referred to as "'''Now I Know My ABCs'''", "'''The ABC'''", "'''ABC Song'''", "'''ABCs'''" {{IPAc-en|ˌ|eɪ|.|b|iː|ˈ|s|iː|z}} or "'''ABC'''" {{IPAc-en|ˌ|eɪ|.|b|iː|ˈ|s|iː}}, as well as "'''The Alphabet Song'''", "'''The Alphabet'''", "'''Alphabet Song'''" or "'''Alphabet'''".}} 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 rhyme]]s 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 ==
== History ==
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"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."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Uitti |first=Jacob |date=15 June 2023 |title=The Meaning Behind the ABCs of "The Alphabet Song" |url=https://americansongwriter.com/the-meaning-behind-the-abcs-of-the-alphabet-song/ |access-date=24 June 2023 |website=[[American Songwriter]]}}</ref>{{Efn|The alphabet song is sometimes said to come from another of Bradlee's publications, ''The Schoolmaster'', but the first line of that song is given as "Come, come, my children, I must see", in [[Yale University]]'s [http://orbis.library.yale.edu library catalog]. It is described as "a favorite glee for three voices, as sung at the Salem glee club."}} The melody was attributed to 18th-century composer Louis Le Maire.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lynch |first=Jack |title=[[You Could Look It Up]] |year=2016 |isbn=9780802777942 |location=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]] |page=50 |language=en}}</ref>
"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."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Uitti |first=Jacob |date=15 June 2023 |title=The Meaning Behind the ABCs of "The Alphabet Song" |url=https://americansongwriter.com/the-meaning-behind-the-abcs-of-the-alphabet-song/ |access-date=24 June 2023 |website=[[American Songwriter]]}}</ref>{{Efn|The alphabet song is sometimes said to come from another of Bradlee's publications, ''The Schoolmaster'', but the first line of that song is given as "Come, come, my children, I must see", in [[Yale University]]'s [http://orbis.library.yale.edu library catalog]. It is described as "a favorite glee for three voices, as sung at the Salem glee club."}} The melody was attributed to 18th-century composer Louis Le Maire.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lynch |first=Jack |title=[[You Could Look It Up]] |year=2016 |isbn=9780802777942 |location=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]] |page=50 |language=en}}</ref>


"The ABC Song" is commonly used in preschools across English-speaking countries. Due to the speed at which '<nowiki/>''L, M, N, O, P''<nowiki/>' 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fortin |first=Jacey |date=2019-10-30 |title=How Do We Sing Our ABC's? L-M-N-O-Please Not Like That |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/30/us/new-alphabet-abc-song.html |url-access=limited |access-date=24 June 2023 |website=[[The New York Times]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Bruner |first=Raisa |date=29 October 2019 |title=The People Have Spoken and They Don't Want This Updated Alphabet Song Remix |url=https://time.com/5713054/new-alphabet-song-reaction/ |access-date=24 June 2023 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref> 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 (musician)|Usher]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ryzik |first=Melena |date=2019-09-27 |title=How 'Sesame Street' Keeps the ABCs Fresh, Every Single Time |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/27/arts/music/sesame-street-songs.html |url-access=limited |access-date=2023-06-24 |issn=}}</ref>
"The ABC Song" is commonly used in preschools across English-speaking countries. 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 (musician)|Usher]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ryzik |first=Melena |date=2019-09-27 |title=How 'Sesame Street' Keeps the ABCs Fresh, Every Single Time |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/27/arts/music/sesame-street-songs.html |url-access=limited |access-date=2023-06-24 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=}}</ref>
 
Due to the speed at which '<nowiki/>''L, M, N, O, P''<nowiki/>' is sung, it is possible for listeners to mistake these for a single letter "elemenopee". One variation avoids this by singing them evenly ('<nowiki/>''H-I-J-K-L-M-N, O-P-Q, R-S-T, U-V-W, X-Y-Z'''), but has been criticized by fans of the original song, as it eliminates the end rhymes between ''G, P, V,'' and ''Z''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fortin |first=Jacey |date=2019-10-30 |title=How Do We Sing Our ABC's? L-M-N-O-Please Not Like That |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/30/us/new-alphabet-abc-song.html |url-access=limited |access-date=24 June 2023 |website=[[The New York Times]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Bruner |first=Raisa |date=29 October 2019 |title=The People Have Spoken and They Don't Want This Updated Alphabet Song Remix |url=https://time.com/5713054/new-alphabet-song-reaction/ |access-date=24 June 2023 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref>


== Composition and variations ==
== Composition and variations ==
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* "[[Shiva Sutra]]", Sanskrit
* "[[Shiva Sutra]]", Sanskrit
* "[[Thousand Character Classic]]", Chinese and Korean [[Hanja]]
* "[[Thousand Character Classic]]", Chinese and Korean [[Hanja]]
* “[[Tam thiên tự]]”, [[Vietnamese alphabet|Vietnamese]]
* "Ganada" ({{lang|ko|가나다}}), Korean [[Hangul#Alphabetic order|Hangul]]
* "Ganada" ({{lang|ko|가나다}}), Korean [[Hangul#Alphabetic order|Hangul]]
* "Zengő ABC" by [[Ferenc Móra]], Hungarian
* "Zengő ABC" by [[Ferenc Móra]], Hungarian

Latest revision as of 16:30, 12 August 2025

Template:Short description Template:Redirect-multi Template:Use dmy dates

File:Alphabet song.png
Music for the alphabet song including some common variations on the lyrics

"The ABC Song"Template:Efn 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 (Template:Translation) (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]Template:Efn The melody was attributed to 18th-century composer Louis Le Maire.[4]

"The ABC Song" is commonly used in preschools across English-speaking countries. 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.[5]

Due to the speed at which 'L, M, N, O, P' is sung, it is possible for listeners to mistake these for a single letter "elemenopee". One variation avoids this by singing them evenly ('H-I-J-K-L-M-N, O-P-Q, R-S-T, U-V-W, X-Y-Z'), but has been criticized by fans of the original song, as it eliminates the end rhymes between G, P, V, and Z.[6][7]

Composition and variations

Script error: No such module "Listen".

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

A, B, C, D, E, F, G... (Template:IPAc-en)
H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P... (Template:IPAc-en; "L, M, N, O" spoken twice as quickly as rest of rhyme)
Q, R, S.../ T, U, V... (Template:IPAc-en; pause between S and T, though in some variants, "and" is inserted)
W... X.../ Y and(/&) Z. (Template:IPAc-en; 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]

<score lang="lilypond" sound="1">\relative c' { 

   \key c \major \time 4/4
   c4 c4 g'4 g4 \bar "|" a4 a4 g2 \bar "|"
   f4 f4 e4 e4 \bar "|" d8 d8 d8 d8 c2 \bar "|" \break

   g'4 g4 f2 \bar "|" e4 e4 d2 \bar "|"
   g8 g8 g4 f2 \bar "|" e4 e4 d2 \bar "|" \break

   c4 c4 g'4 g4 \bar "|" a4 a4 g2 \bar "|"
   f4 f4 e4 e4 \bar "|" d4 d4 c2 \bar "|."
  }
  \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 and Z.
    Now I know my A B Cs.
    Next time, won't you sing with me?
  }</score>

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

A, B, C, D, E, F, G... (Template:IPAc-en)
H, I, J, K, L, M, N... (Template:IPAc-en)
O, P, Q, R, S, T, U... (Template:IPAc-en)
V, W... X, Y and(/&) Z. (Template:IPAc-en; W lasts for two beats)
Now I know my ABCs.
Next time, won't you sing with me?[8]

<score lang="lilypond" sound="1"> 

 \relative c' {
   \key c \major \time 4/4
   c4 c4 g'4 g4 \bar "|" a4 a4 g2 \bar "|"
   f4 f4 e4 e4 \bar "|" d4 d4 c2 \bar "|" \break

   g'4 g4 f4 f4 \bar "|" e4 e4 d2 \bar "|"
   g4 g8 g8 f4 f4 \bar "|" e4 e4 d2 \bar "|" \break

   c4 c4 g'4 g4 \bar "|" a4 a4 g2 \bar "|"
   f4 f4 e4 e4 \bar "|" d4 d4 c2 \bar "|."
  }
  \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 and Z.
    Now I know my A B Cs.
    Next time, won't you sing with me?
  }

</score>

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]

<score sound="1">{ \time 4/4 c'4 c' g' g' | a' a' g'2 | f'4 f' e' e' | d' d' c'2 | g'4 g' f' f' | e' e' d'2 | g'4 \times 2/3 { f'8 f' f' } e'4 d' | c' r r2 | \bar "|." } \addlyrics { A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V dub- a- U X Y "Z(ed)" }</score>

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 does not have a closing line, and the tune is modified accordingly. The W is not lengthened in this version.

Backwards alphabet

Several versions exist covering the alphabet backward, 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-a part is as fast as the l-m-n-o-p part in the normal alphabet song.

Versions for other languages

The same melody used for "The ABC Song" has also been used for the Spanish, 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.[13]

See also

Traditional alphabet songs in other languages

Notes

Template:Notelist

References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Children sing the ADLaM alphabet, as obtained from Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Template:Cbignore

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Template:Authority control

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