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]] A lullaby is a soothing Song , usually sung to Child ren before they go to sleep, but they can also be sung to insomniac teenagers and adults as well to help them sleep. They originated in England in the late 1300s. The idea is that the song sung by a familiar and beautiful voice will lull the child to sleep. Lullabies written by established Classical composers are often given the form-name '''''berceuse''''', which is French for lullaby, or Cradle song. Perhaps the most famous berceuse of all is Johannes Brahms ' song ''Wiegenlied'', or "cradle song", called '' Brahms' Lullaby '' in English. Brahms wrote his " Lullaby " originally for a young singer whom he knew, Bertha Faber, on the occasion of the birth of her second son. The English lyrics are similar to the original German lyrics. Typically a berceuse is in , Liszt and Balakirev are all in D♭. Frédéric Chopin 's ''Opus 57'' is a berceuse for solo piano. Other famous examples of the genre include Maurice Ravel 's ''Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Fauré'' for violin and piano; the ''Berceuse élégiaque'' by Ferruccio Busoni ; the ''Berceuse'' by Igor Stravinsky which is featured in the '' Firebird '' ballet, and ''Lullaby for String Quartet'' by George Gershwin . The English composer Nicholas Maw 's orchestral Nocturne ''The World in the Evening'' is subtitled 'lullaby for large orchestra'. Contemporary American composer Todd Goodman 's Concerto for Bass Clarinet and Orchestra includes a "Berceuse" as the second movement. In terms of pop music, famous lullabies include "Good Night" by The Beatles and "Lullaby (Good Night My Angel)" by Billy Joel . Asia has its own versions of the lullaby as well. In Tamil (a language of southern India and northern Sri Lanka ), a lullaby is called a ''thaalattu'' (''thal'' means "tongue"). A melodious sound is created by frequent movement of the tongue at the beginning of the song, hence the name. But most notably is the use of the ''oyayi'' in the Philippines , also called ''huluna'' in Batangas. In fact, the use of a song in putting a baby to sleep is so popular that almost every mother in the province is said to have composed at least one lullaby for her child. ROCK-A-BYE BABY 's illustrations for ''Hush-a-bye baby'', a variant from a 1901 edition of Mother Goose ]] One of the most famous lullabies, " Rock-a-bye Baby ", is hardly lulling (at least the first verse). Although it starts mildly enough, it quickly turns to disaster: :Rock a bye baby on the tree top, :When the wind blows the cradle will rock, :When the bough breaks the cradle will fall, :And down will come baby, cradle and all. The author of this lullaby isn't known. The ''Great American Baby Almanac'' reports that it was written by a pilgrim on the Mayflower and was inspired by a custom of the Wampanoag native people, who suspend their Cradleboard s in trees during fine weather. ([http://www.indianchild.com/history_origins_nursery_ryhmes.htm History of Nursery Rhymes]) HUSH LITTLE BABY Another famous lullaby, generally known as " Hush Little Baby " makes many promises to the child if it will only be quiet and go to sleep, a sentiment with which parents will be familiar: :Hush little baby, don't say a word, :Papa's going to buy you a mockingbird :And if that mockingbird don't sing, :Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring. and goes on to promise "a looking glass", "a horse and coach", and other treasures. The structure is simple enough for parents to ad-lib further verses as required. This song has had the unusual distinction of two separate manifestations as a Popular Song , first as " Bo Diddley " and then, in a near- Fugue arrangement, as "Mockingbird", a hit first for the brother-and-sister team, Inez And Charlie Foxx in 1963 , and then, for then husband and wife, James Taylor and Carly Simon in 1974 , singing the Foxx arrangement. Toby Keith and his teenage daughter Krystal covered the song in 2004 . In 2005 Rapper Eminem adapted "Mockingbird" into a song for his daughter. In it, he threatens to break the bird's neck if it won't sing. SUMMERTIME A famous lullaby is " Summertime " from the Porgy and Bess musical of 1935. Sometimes it is also referred to as the Gershwin Lullaby. Although many of the jazz improvizations of this song have "wild chromaticism", the original is quite soothing, and somewhat slow and melancholy, in natural minor. The recurring gentle rocking back and forth between A-minor 6th and E-seventh, in the orchestral strings version, is simultaneously both sad and comforting. Additionally, many parents sing this song (unaccompanied) to their children, at bed time. :Summertime, and the living is easy :Fish are jumping, and the cotton is high :Your daddy's rich, and your ma is good looking :So hush little baby, don't you cry. :One of these mornings, you're gonna rise up singing :You're gonna spread your wings as you take the sky :But till that morning, there's nothing can harm you :With your daddy and mammy standing nigh ALL THE PRETTY LITTLE HORSES Another famous lullaby is "All the Pretty Little Horses" which many children simply know by the first three words of the lyrics: "Hush a bye". It was originally written by an african american slave, who could not take care of her baby, because she was too busy taking care of her master's child, so she would sing this song to her master's child. Originally, the lyrics were "birds and butterflies, peck at his eyes" but were changed to "birds and butterflies, flutter 'round his eyes" to make the lullaby less violent for younger children. Like Summertime this song is also played in natural minor. :Hush-a-bye :Don't you cry :Go to sleep my little ba-by; :When you wake, :you shall have, :all the pretty little horses. :Black and bays, :Dapples and greys, :Coach and six little horses. :Hush-a-bye :Don't you cry :Go to sleep my little baby :When you wake, :you shall have, :and all the pretty little horses. :Way down yonder :in the meadow :poor little baby cries mama :birds and butterflies :flutter 'round his eyes :poor little baby cries mama :Hush-a-bye :Don't you cry :Go to sleep my little ba-by; :When you wake, :you shall have, :all the pretty little horses. The Folk group Peter, Paul & Mary recorded a version called "Hush-A-Bye" in 1963. Pop artist Kenny Loggins recorded a version called "All the Pretty Little Ponies" for his 1994 CD "Return to Pooh Corner." EXTERNAL LINKS
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