Where Did the Melody For “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” Come From and How Did the Nursery Rhyme Originate?

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Karen Hill

In 1806, Jane Taylor published “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” simply as “The Star.”

The tune was already in use for “Baa Baa Black Sheep” and the Alphabet Song.

The melody for all three came from a French rhyme called “Ah! Vous dirais-je Maman” in 1765.

Both Mozart and Haydn have incorporated the melody into two of their classical compositions, Haydn in “Surprise” Symphony No.94 and Mozart in Theme and Variations K265.

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