# Musical Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 10, 2000, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-question/10088 "2000-04-10T15:00:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sdimbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdimbert/32/20204_2.png) [@sdimbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdimbert)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2000, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-question/10088/1 "2000-04-10T15:00:00Z")
This is an **important** question: I just learned (from Telly, on Sesame Street) that _Twinkle, Twinkle, Baa Baa Black Sheep_ and _The Alphabet Song_ all have the same tune. Which one came first? Which ones stole the tune from the other? Who deserves the royalties? ---
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2000, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-question/10088/2 "2000-04-10T15:04:00Z")
WAG but they are all in the public domain. * * * I Don’t Know Whether To Kill Myself Or Go Bowling. _famous C&W song_ Yours truly, aha ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2000, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-question/10088/3 "2000-04-10T15:19:00Z")
WAG: The Alphabet Song (TAS), since you couldn’t write other lyrics until you learn the alphabet. 😃 BTW, I didn’t realize they were the same tune until my 4-year-old niece started singing parts of TTLS and TAS alternately with the same melody. (I was 35 at the time.) * * * Wrong thinking is punished, right thinking is just as swiftly rewarded. You’ll find it an effective combination. ---
**Author:** ![VileOrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/9e8a1a/32.png) [@VileOrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VileOrb)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2000, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-question/10088/4 "2000-04-10T15:21:00Z")
And did you know that the Jeopardy Theme is the same as ‘I’m a Little Teapot’? * * * Spring Ice: 2 parts gin, 1 part Cointreau, 1 part Midori, 2 parts fresh squeezed lime, 7-up to fill - Garnish: Orange slice in bottom of glass. ---
**Author:** ![Gilligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Gilligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gilligan)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2000, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-question/10088/5 "2000-04-10T16:03:00Z")
> [@](#): > > The melody known through Mozart (K.265) as “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” “was first known as Ah! Vous Dirai-Je, Maman the music of which appeared (without words in 1761)…” (Fuld) > For a discussion of the French Folk tune and song sung as “Twinkle, Twinkle…” or “Baa, Baa Black Sheep,” or “ABCDEFG…” or “Ist das nicht ein Schnitzelbank,” see James J. Fuld. The Book of World Famous Music. New York: Crown, 1971. Revised and enlarged edition. Source: [www.indiana.edu/~librcsd/resource/france/annexe/twinkle.html](http://www.indiana.edu/~librcsd/resource/france/annexe/twinkle.html) ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2000, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-question/10088/6 "2000-04-10T16:35:00Z")
By the way, the lyrics of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” are from a poem called “The Star” by Jane Taylor (born 1783, died 1824). ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2000, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-question/10088/7 "2000-04-11T13:59:00Z")
We’ve covered this issue in threads on the SDMB a couple times that I recall. I recommend looking up the discussion using the (ahem) search engine. I’d do it for you, but that thing and I don’t seem to communicate too well… 😉 One of the Bachs, btw, did a set of variations on the melody, quite delightful to play on the piano. 🙂