An alphabet song is any of various songs used to teach children the alphabet. Alphabet songs typically follow the alphabetic principle (though the phonics method offers variants). In languages such as English with morphophonemic variation (e.g. "cake" is , not ['ka:k?]), an alphabet song usually chooses a particular pronunciation for each letter in the alphabet and also typically for some words in the song.
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The A.B.C. (Verse 1)
"The A.B.C." or "A.B.Cs" is one of the best-known English language alphabet songs, and perhaps the one most frequently referred to as "the alphabet song", especially in the United States.
The song was first copyrighted in 1835 by the Boston-based music publisher Charles Bradlee, and given the title "The A.B.C., a German air with variations for the flute with an easy accompaniment for the piano forte". The musical arrangement was attributed to Louis Le Maire (sometimes Lemaire), an 18th-century composer. This was "Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1835, by C. Bradlee, in the clerk's office of the District Court of Massachusetts", according to the Newberry Library, which also says, "The theme is that used by Mozart for his piano variations, Ah, vous dirai-je, maman." This tune is the same as the tune for "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep".
Lyrics: (each line represents two measures, or eight beats)
Zed for Zee
In the United States, Z is pronounced zee; in most other English-speaking countries (such as Canada, the UK and Australia) it is pronounced zed. Generally, the absent zee-rhyme is not missed, although some children use a zee pronunciation in the rhyme which they would not use elsewhere. Variants of the song exist to accommodate the zed pronunciation. One variation shortens the second line and lengthens the last, to form a near-rhyme between N and zed:
Alternate Zed Version:
Another alternate Zed version:
Dutch version
Note that the third line is lengthened and the fourth line is shortened, to compensate for the Dutch pronunciations.
French Canadian version
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.
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Phonics songs
Because the English language has 40 sounds and only 26 letters, children and beginning readers also need to learn the different sounds (phonemes) associated with each letter. Many songs have been written to teach phonemic awareness and they are usually referred to as alphabet songs.
Acrostic songs
There are also songs that go through the alphabet, making some of the letters stand for something in the process. An example, A, You're Adorable (also known as "The Alphabet Love Song"), was recorded in 1948, by Buddy Kaye, Fred Wise, Sidney Lippman, and later Perry Como.
A newer example of this is from the musical Matilda. "School Song" is an acrostic that spells out the alphabet phonetically.
Backwards song (Verse 2)
The group Wee Sing released an alphabet song with the letters in reverse order, called "ZYXs".
The Canadian children's TV series The Big Comfy Couch used a version of the song in the first episode of Season 4, "Backwards".
Comedian Soupy Sales released a song in 1966 called "Backwards Alphabet" which contained the reverse alphabet in lyrical style. The original version of the song was performed by actress Judi Rolin with the Smothers Brothers in the 1966 teleplay adaptation of Alice Through the Looking Glass.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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