Bedtime Stories About Brahms's Lullaby (Wiegenlied)
The Best Moments
Wiegenlied in E-flat major, Op. 49, No. 4
Hello, I am Brahms, and I would love to share the best moments of my Lullaby (Wiegenlied) with you. You will hear how a simple song I wrote in 1868 to celebrate a newborn boy creates such a warm, reassuring calm in just a few quiet phrases. On this site, the other composers and I also help you recognize our music whenever it plays, so feel free to visit our Trainer and give it a go.
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Smuggling a waltz into the nursery
I start my Lullaby (Wiegenlied) with the piano rocking gently back and forth, tucked with a secret nod to an old Austrian waltz my friend Bertha used to sing to me. The voice enters right away with those familiar opening notes, though I suspect my tune has put far more exhausted parents to sleep over the years than actual babies.
A brief reach for the blanket
In the middle of the sixteen-bar tune, I let the melody climb up to a slightly higher note, like a sleepy child making one last half-hearted protest before giving in to the pillow. I made sure the piano keeps its steady, swaying rhythm underneath so nobody actually wakes up during this miniature burst of drama.
Tucked in and tip-toeing out
I bring the song to a close by letting the voice drift smoothly back down to where it started, settling so quietly that you can practically hear the nursery door clicking shut. My publisher Simrock later printed so many versions of these final bars that I joked he ought to bring out a gloomy minor-key edition just for naughty children.
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Did you enjoy walking through the best moments of my Lullaby (Wiegenlied) with me? Even a simple song built to soothe a newborn holds plenty more stories and musical details worth discovering. Have a look at the links on this page if you would like to explore the rest of Lullaby (Wiegenlied) together.
Recording: Ernestine Schumann-Heink, Public domain