What is "berceuse"

Berceuse \Ber`ceuse"\, n. [F.] (Mus.) A vocal or instrumental composition of a soft tranquil character, having a lulling effect; a cradle song.

"cradle song," 1876, from French berceuse "cradle-song, woman who rocks an infant," from bercer "to rock" (Old French bercier "to rock" a child in a cradle, 12c.) + fem. agent suffix -euse.

n. A lullaby.

n. a quiet song intended to lull a child to sleep [syn: lullaby, cradlesong]

A berceuse is "a musical composition usually in 6/8 time that resembles a lullaby". Otherwise it is typically in triple meter. Tonally most berceuses are simple, often merely alternating tonic and dominant harmonies; since the intended effect is to put a baby to sleep, wild chromaticism would be somewhat out of character. Another characteristic of the berceuse, for no reason other than convention, is a tendency to stay on the "flat side"; noted examples including the berceuses by Chopin, who pioneered the form, Liszt, and Balakirev, which are all in D.

Frédéric Chopin's Berceuse Op. 57 (1843–44) is a lullaby to be played on piano. It consists of variations in D-flat major. At first the composer titled the work Variations, but the title was altered for publication to the current Berceuse.

It was first published by J. Meissonnier of Paris in 1844 and dedicated to Elise Gavard (1824–1900).