12 Variations in C major on "Ah, vous dirai-je, maman", K. 265

About the work

The theme is the tune every child knows as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" — originally the French song "Ah, vous dirai-je, maman." In the early 1780s Mozart spun twelve variations from it: glittering scale-work, a turn to the minor, a reflective slow variation, a bustling final allegro. Often treated as a student piece, in concert it shows Mozart's alchemy at its purest — the simpler the material, the more exposed the craft.

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