The Most Famous Lullaby Wasn't Written for a Baby

[00:00:07]This is the most famous lullaby in the world and for over 150 years parents they have used it to calm their children and gently put them to sleep. A song of safety and comfort.

[00:00:18]But that's not what it was written for.

[00:00:20]When the composer created this piece, he used that familiar melody to hide the secret message beneath the notes. One you would never expect. This piece was written in 1868 by the German composer Johannes Brahms.

[00:00:35]But to understand the music, we need to go back years before it was composed.

[00:00:40]Brahms was known for his struggle with commitment. He never married. Around 1859 he had a close romantic relationship with an Austrian woman named Bertha.

[00:00:50]And they would spend their days walking together through the German countryside.

[00:00:54]And on those walks, Bertha, she used to sing a specific Austrian folk song to him called in English, It's different.

[00:01:03]And it became their song. Unfortunately, later the relationship ended. But they remained friends and Bertha married another man called Arthur Faber.

[00:01:13]And when Bertha had her second son, Brahms sent her this lullaby as a gift.

[00:01:18]But Brahms included a hidden detail that only she would truly understand.

[00:01:23]He took the exact folk song that Bertha used to sing to him and he buried it in the background notes right underneath the famous lullaby.

[00:01:31]And he even mentioned it in a letter to her husband almost like a musical inside joke saying, "Dear Arthur, I sent this lullaby for your newborn son. Bertha will quickly realize that while she sings him to sleep, a love song is being sung to her."

[00:01:47]So while Bertha softly sang the lullaby to her baby, Brahms placed the melody, the Austrian folk song, into the piano accompaniment. Now you might think her husband would be furious, but no, there was no scandal here. Arthur Faber was actually one of Brahms' closest friends, and Brahms was a frequent guest at their home attending dinners and musical evenings. So, to Arthur, having one of the greatest composers of the age writing a piece for his son was a huge honor, even with its hidden tribute to his wife. So, far from a scandal, it was a tender, nostalgic gesture from a romance that had transformed into friendship.

[00:02:27]Oh, and there is one simple detail that says it all. Bertha and Arthur Faber, they named their second baby boy Johannes. So, as we play this now, listen closely to the conversation between the instruments.

[00:02:40]My cello plays the mother's voice, the familiar lullaby, while beneath it the piano accompaniment whispers the old song that Bertha used to sing to Brahms. Two different stories playing at the exact same time. You're no longer just hearing a lullaby. You're hearing a tender tribute to a friendship. Please tell me in the comments which memories does this melody bring back?

[00:03:05]What is it?

[00:03:06]Thank you so much for watching. Hope you enjoyed the performance. This is Brahms' Wiegenlied.

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