Piano songs · Beginner
Brahms' Lullaby on piano
Brahms' Lullaby ("Guten Abend, gut' Nacht") rocks gently in three, and the tune is made of small steps and one lovely leap. Here's the melody over the rocking bass.
this song
Brahms' Lullaby sheet music
The same notes as the player above, as a piano score: E♭ major, 3/4 time. Press Play and the notes light up as they sound. Free to print or save as a PDF.
How to read the rhythms · how to read the notes
About the piece
Johannes Brahms wrote his Wiegenlied, Op. 49 No. 4, in 1868 for his friend Bertha Faber, on the birth of her second son. It's one of the most famous lullabies in the world.
The notes
The letters above are the tune, played by your right hand: G G B♭ G G; B♭ G B♭ E♭ D; C C B♭ F G A♭; F F G A♭ F A♭ D C B♭; D E♭ E♭ E♭ E♭; C A♭ B♭ G E♭ A♭; B♭ C B♭ E♭ E♭ E♭; C A♭ B♭ G E♭ A♭ G; F E♭. Longer boxes are longer notes. Press Play and follow along, slow it down with the speed slider, or turn on Wait for me and play each note yourself.
How to learn it
- The rocking start: two short notes, then a long one, three times: G G B♭, G G B♭. Keep it soft.
- E♭ major: three flats, B♭, E♭ and A♭. Mark them before you begin.
- The leap up to the high E♭ is the high point of the phrase. Don't let it get loud: it's a lullaby.
- Left hand: a low note on each beat, rocking between the bass and the harmony.
Learning Brahms' Lullaby on a real piano? Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a rhythm that runs away. Then it shows you how it should go.
Questions people ask
What are the first notes of Brahms' Lullaby?
In E♭ major: G G B♭, G G B♭, G B♭ E♭ D C C B♭.
What is Brahms' Lullaby called in German?
"Wiegenlied" ("cradle song"), Op. 49 No. 4, beginning "Guten Abend, gut' Nacht".
More songs to play
Notes checked against the public-domain Mutopia Project edition (mutopiaproject.org). Piano sound: Salamander Grand Piano by Alexander Holm, CC BY 3.0.