Word of the Day

: May 2, 2013

berceuse

noun bair-SOOZ

What It Means

1 : a musical composition usually in 6/8 time that resembles a lullaby

2 : lullaby

berceuse in Context

"After the equally calming signature tune, the berceuse from Faure's Dolly Suite, Oxenford and the other presenters began the programme with a question that became a catchphrase: 'Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.'" - From an obituary for Daphne Oxenford by Richard Anthony Baker in The Stage (London), January 17, 2013

"David Starobin, a classical guitarist who had contributed the colorful, mildly dissonant 'Berceuse Bas de Gamme' ('Cheap Lullaby'), and who runs Bridge Records, offered to release the set." - From an article by Allan Kozinn in the New York Times, April 2, 2013

Did You Know?

The lullaby is a standard of classical music. German composer Johannes Brahms is perhaps best known for his "Wiegenlied: Guten Abend, gute Nacht" ("Good evening, good night"), Op. 49, No. 4, published in 1868, purportedly written for a friend to celebrate the birth of her son. Compositionally, a berceuse is similar to a lullaby, particularly in its soothing refrain often set to a rocking rhythm usually in 6/8 time. Among the earliest examples of works known by that name is Frédéric Chopin's Berceuse in D-flat Major (1843-44), written for piano; Franz Liszt, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Maurice Ravel also composed berceuses. The word "berceuse" is indicative of its use as an aid to sleep-it derives from the French "bercer" ("to rock") and ultimately from the Old French "bers" ("cradle").