A Lullaby For Brahms

Johannes Brahms was born on May 7, 1833, in Hamburg, Germany. At an early age he helped to support his family by playing the piano in dance halls. His father, also a musician, recognized his son's talent and encouraged him to continue his musical studies. Brahms was one of the few composers who was so successful that he did not have to take other jobs to make a living. He spent most of his life in Vienna composing and performing his music. He died on April 3, 1897, a celebrated composer of the Romantic Era, and one of the famous "Three B's" of classical music – Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms.

To help introduce this great composer to your students, we have created the song "A Lullaby For Brahms." This piece features snippets of a few of his most recognizable works as an introduction. Then, using the beautiful Intermezzo In A major as a melody, your singers get to sing about various aspects of Brahms' life and the things that motivated him (long walks in nature) and plagued him (he was somewhat of a perfectionist). It's a great way to start a unit on Brahms and/or classical music. As a matter of fact, we have several other pieces in this genre, as well: "The Chopin Etude" (Vol. 20, No. 4), "The Liszt Rhapsody" (Vol. 22, No. 1), and "Mr. Debussy" (Vol. 23, No. 1).

The accompaniment for this song is written for piano, flute, and strings. The piano part is very close to Brahms' original work. You can use the audio track on the Performance/Accompaniment recording for this issue, or, if you have a pianist who is able to play the accompaniment, it would make for a very moving live performance. You could also have a flautist play the melody as we did on the recording. Note that our accompaniment is not performed at a set tempo, but it ebbs and flows. Once you and your choir have heard it a few times, it will become very familiar. Tell your singers to listen closely for the solo flute, as it will be the perfect melody guide for them.