"Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf" ("Sleep, dear child, sleep") is a German

lullaby A lullaby (), or a cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies, they are used to pass down cultural knowl ...

. The oldest surviving version is a text and melody fragment of the first

stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian ''stanza'', ; ) is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme and metrical schemes, but they are not required to have either. ...

, which appears in 1611 as part of a

quodlibet A quodlibet (; Latin for "whatever you wish" from '' quod'', "what" and '' libet'', "pleases") is a musical composition that combines several different melodies—usually popular tunes—in counterpoint, and often in a light-hearted, humorous ma ...

in Melchior Franck's ''Fasciculus quodlibeticus''. The current melody of the lullaby was composed by

Johann Friedrich Reichardt Johann Friedrich Reichardt (25 November 1752 – 27 June 1814) was a German composer, writer and music critic. Early life Reichardt was born in Königsberg, East Prussia, to lutenist and ''Stadtmusiker'' Johann Reichardt (1720–1780). Johann F ...

in 1781 after a folk tune and also used for "" (

cockchafer The common cockchafer (''Melolontha melolontha''), also colloquially known as the Maybug, Maybeetle, or doodlebug, is a species of scarab beetle belonging to the genus '' Melolontha.'' It is native to Europe, and it is one of several closely-rel ...

fly). The currently known text version was distributed by the third volume of the collection '' Des Knaben Wunderhorn'' (1808). As a template for the first stanza was a Low German version of

Johann Friedrich Schütze Johann Friedrich Schütze, pseudonym: ''Jäger'', (1758–1810) was a German author. Life Schütze was born on 1 April 1758 in Altona near Hamburg in the Duchy of Holstein. He was the son of Gottfried Schütze. He attended the Gelehrtenschule ...

's ''Holsteinisches Idiotikon'' (1806), the other stanzas are added poetry of

Clemens Brentano Clemens Wenzeslaus Brentano (also Klemens; pseudonym: Clemens Maria Brentano ; ; 9 September 1778 – 28 July 1842) was a German poet and novelist, and a major figure of German Romanticism. He was the uncle, via his brother Christian, of Franz a ...

. Franz Magnus Böhme reprinted 36 text variants in 1897.

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

set the text to his own music as No. 11 in his collection ''15 Volkskinderlieder'', WoO 31 (1857).

Melody

The melody by

is from 1781. \relative c'' \addlyrics

Text

Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf, Der Vater hüt die Schaf, Die Mutter schüttelts Bäumelein, Da fällt herab ein Träumelein, Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf. Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf, Am Himmel ziehn die Schaf, Die Sternlein sind die Lämmerlein, Der Mond der ist das Schäferlein, Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf. Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf, Christkindlein hat ein Schaf, Ist selbst das liebe Gotteslamm, Das um uns all zu Tode kam, Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf! Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf, So schenk ich dir ein Schaf Mit einer goldnen Schelle fein, Das soll dein Spielgeselle sein, Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf! Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf, Und blöck nicht wie ein Schaf, Sonst kömmt des Schäfers Hündelein, Und beißt mein böses Kindelein, Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf. Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf, Geh fort und hüt die Schaf, Geh fort du schwarzes Hündelein, Und weck mir nicht mein Kindelein, Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf. Sleep, little child, sleep The father tends the sheep, The mother shakes the little tree, At that, a little dream falls here Sleep, little child, sleep Sleep, little child, sleep In Heaven drift the sheep The little stars are little lambs The moon, he is the little shepherd Sleep, little child, sleep Sleep, little child, sleep The Christ Child has a sheep, He is himself the dear Lamb of God Who died for the sake of all of us Sleep, little child, sleep Sleep, little child, sleep Then I'll give you a lamb With a fine golden bell Who shall be your playmate Sleep, little child, sleep Sleep, little child, sleep And don't bleat like a sheep Or else might come the shepherd's dog and bite my naughty little child Sleep, little child, sleep Sleep, little child, sleep Go forth and tend the sheep Go forth, you little black dog and wake no more my little child Sleep, little child, sleep Additional Verses: Sleep, my child, sleep out there walks a sheep but now its time for beddy-byes so come on, my child close your eyes Sleep, my child, sleep.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Lullabies German poems German folk songs Songs in German German children's songs Traditional children's songs Songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn