Some musical genres arose in response to a specific circumstance. The lullaby, which was originally defined as a voice composition intended to lull a child to sleep, is an example of this. The lullawas usually sung in the second person, addressing the badirectly, the person holding, rocking, or sitting beside the child. A lullaby’s soothing music has also been used to calm or distract a child who is upset or sick.
A lullais known for its gentleness, sweetness, and repeated words that are meant to be formulaic rather than attention-getting. A lullacan tell a story or reassure a child promising safety or treats when they wake up. The lulla“Hush Little Baby” tells the story of a series of gifts given a parent to their child, all aimed at praising the child. Harold Boulton’s translation of the traditional Welsh lulla“Ar Hyd Y Nos” promises the child that the parent will be watching over them all night to keep them safe while they sleep. Typical English versions of Johannes Brahms’ Lullaby, translated from the German, express similar sentiments.
The lullais sung a child who takes comfort in being protected guardian angels all around the bedside in Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera Hansel and Gretel, with words Adelheid Wette after the Grimm brothers fairy tale. Another example of children singing the goodnight song is “Tender Shepherd” from the musical Peter Pan, which features music Mark Charlap and Jule Styne and lyrics Betty Comden, Carolyn Leigh, and Adolph Green. The shepherd most likely refers to Jesus’ parable of the sheep in the New Testament, with the implication that God will keep an eye on the children while they sleep.
Other lullabies, on the other hand, may not be as soothing and gentle. A child’s cradle falls out of a treetop in “Rock-a-bye, Baby.” Wolves appear in a number of Italian lullabies, and some lullabies from different parts of the country make references to local folktales. There are even lullabies about a baor someone else being stolen, or a mother being duped and forced to give up her child.
With the development of art music lullabies, such as the pieces known as berceuse and wiegenlied, the lullagenre has moved away from the intimate setting at the child’s bedside and into the concert hall. These pieces can be vocal, instrumental, or for voice with accompaniment.