Composer

:

Amy Beach

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Vocal Music

Compose Date

:

1894

Publication Date

:

1895

Average_duration

:

3:42

'Sleep, Little Darling, Op. 29/3' is a lullaby composed by Amy Beach, an American composer and pianist. The piece was composed in 1892 and premiered the same year. It is part of a set of three songs for voice and piano, collectively known as 'Three Browning Songs', which were inspired by the poetry of Robert Browning. The piece is written in the key of F major and has a simple, gentle melody that is accompanied by a flowing piano accompaniment. The vocal line is characterized by its lyrical quality and expressive phrasing, which is intended to convey the soothing and comforting nature of a lullaby. The piece is structured in a ternary form, with a gentle and peaceful opening section that is followed by a more animated middle section, before returning to the tranquil opening theme. The lyrics of the piece are taken from Browning's poem 'The Guardian Angel: A Picture at Fano', and describe a mother singing a lullaby to her child. The text is full of imagery and metaphors, such as "The moon is high in heaven, and the waves are dancing light" and "The stars are shining brightly, and the owl is on the wing", which create a dreamlike atmosphere and reinforce the theme of comfort and protection. Overall, 'Sleep, Little Darling, Op. 29/3' is a beautiful and tender piece that showcases Beach's skill as a composer and her ability to capture the emotional essence of a text through music. Its popularity has endured over the years, and it remains a beloved lullaby that is often performed and recorded by singers and pianists alike.

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