Music for the alphabet song including some common variations on the lyrics
"The ABC Song"[a] is the best-known song used to recite the English alphabetinalphabetical 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.
"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][b] 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]
InAmerican 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 whilst 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:[10][11]
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.
The same melody used for "The ABC Song" has also been used for the German, French, and Arabic alphabets.[13] 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.[citation needed]
^"The ABC Song" is also referred to as "Now I Know My ABCs", "The ABC", "ABC Song", "ABCs" /ˌeɪ.biːˈsiːz/ or "ABC" /ˌeɪ.biːˈsiː/, as well as "The Alphabet Song", "The Alphabet", "Alphabet Song" or "Alphabet".
^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 library catalog. It is described as "a favorite glee for three voices, as sung at the Salem glee club."
^Dene Syllabics Alphabet, Indigenous Languages of Manitoba Inc., 4 May 2018, archived from the original on 23 November 2021, retrieved 27 October 2021 – via YouTube
