Lullaby

DEFINITION

A cradle song. A song sung to a child to soothe him to sleep, or a gentle, quiet song. The instrumental lullaby (most often for piano) is based on Frederick Chopin's Berceuse opus 57 and is characterized by a rhythmic ostinato that suggests a gentle and steady rocking feel. Many composers have written in this genre including Frederick Chopin, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Franz Liszt, Edvard Grieg, Claude Debussy along with many others. Also [Fr.] berceuse; [Ger.] Wiegenlied.