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Wiegenlied in German, or berceuse in French, lullabies are the best type of love song. This week, Jean Ritchie, Brahms, and Dumbo's mother all have gentle nothings to sing.
Howdy, howdy, howdy! I’m Solomon Reynolds, and this is: Saturday Morning Car Tunes! This morning… Lullabies help babies fall asleep. They’re soft and gentle, with melodies that play over and over again. Lots of lullabies are folk songs. This is Hush, Little Baby sung by Jean Ritchie.
In classical music, lullabies have different names. In German, Wiegenlied means “cradle song,” like this one by Bernhard Flies.
Most lullabies are sung alone by women, but a Wiegenlied usually has a piano, too. This is by Franz Schubert.
Is your room big enough for two instruments and a singer? Louis Spohr thought the pure, smooth tone of a clarinet would complement this Wiegenlied.
What if an entire orchestra showed up? Richard Strauss uses strings to create a dreamy atmosphere. If you’ve ever fallen asleep at the opera, you’re supposed to during the Sandman’s aria from Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel.
Men can sing cradlesongs, too! Weber wrote some for voice and guitar. Robert Schumann imagined a mother and a father singing together next to their child’s bed. The most famous Wiegenlied was written by Brahms. Did someone special sing it for you growing up?
Berceuse is the French word for “lullaby.” They’re mostly composed for solo piano. This is a famous one by Chopin.
Gabriel Fauré added a violin to this berceuse.
Nana can mean “grandma” or “lullaby” in Spanish. Musicians love to perform Manuel de Falla’s.
Lullabies don’t have to be sung. George Gershwin wrote a lullaby for a string quartet.
What’s better than one person singing? How about a full choir? Eric Whitacre wrote The Seal Lullaby for an animated movie that never got made. Disney’s Dumbo did get made in 1941. Dumbo’s mother, Mrs. Jumbo, sings this lullaby in the film. Lullabies are the best type of love song.
I’m Solomon Reynolds. I write and produce Saturday Morning Car Tunes with research assistant Carolina Correa and audio engineer Stephen Page, only on Classical California. Tune in—or out of your car—next Saturday morning!
