Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star for Violahear it, slow it down, play along
- Traditional (French, 1761)
- Viola
- A major
- 4/4
- 12 bars
- Moderato
On the viola
It is in alto clef and runs from A3 to F♯4. Everything fits in first position.
It is in A major, an octave below the violin version.
How it goes
Three lines of four bars. The first and last lines are the same; the middle line repeats one short phrase twice. Quarter notes with a half note at the end of every second bar.
A way to practise it
Learn the first line and you know two thirds of it. Play along at the slow tempo and let each half note ring for its full two beats.
- Slow ♩ = 60
- Practice ♩ = 80
- Goal ♩ = 100
About the piece
The tune is the French song “Ah! vous dirai-je, maman”, printed in 1761. Mozart wrote twelve variations on it, K. 265, and the English words are Jane Taylor's poem “The Star”, from 1806.
This page has the plain twelve-bar melody.
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star for other instruments
Each version is written in a key that suits the instrument, with its own page and player.
More easy pieces
Questions
- Is there Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star sheet music for viola?
- Yes. This page shows the melody written for Viola in A major, 12 bars in 4/4, and plays it. The notes are public domain.
- What notes does Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star use on viola?
- In this version the melody runs from A3 to F♯4. Everything fits in first position. Press play and watch the cursor: it follows the notes as they sound.
- How fast should I play Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star?
- It is marked Moderato. Start around ♩ = 60, practise at 80 and aim for about 100. The player's tempo buttons go between those in steps of 4.
- Can I play it together with other instruments?
- Yes: the versions for Violin sound in the same key, A major, so you can play them at the same time, each reading their own page.
Photograph your own part with ScoreLens.
This player is the one in the app. Point your phone at the page on your music stand, and ScoreLens reads it and plays it back, slower or in another key. It is best on single-line parts and reads piano too. Handwriting is out of reach for now.
