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SongsBrahms' Lullaby
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  1. 3,
  2. 3,
  3. 5,
  4. 3,
  5. 3,
  6. 5,
  7. 3,
  8. 5,
  9. 1
  10. 7,
  11. 6,
  12. 6,
  13. 5,
  14. 2,
  15. 3,
  16. 4,
  17. 2,
  18. 2,
  19. 3,
  20. 4,
  21. 2,
  22. 4,
  23. 7,
  24. 6,
  25. 5,
  26. 7,
  27. 1

Johannes Brahms, "Wiegenlied", Op. 49 No. 4, 1868. Public domain. The first half of the melody.

4 strings · C2–A3 open · E5 up the A string in thumb position · Perfect fifths, exactly an octave below a viola. The C string is the deepest note in a string quartet.

Tap a string, or slide along a string and the pitch follows your finger, under a bow that never stops. On a keyboard the letters on the strings are the ones to press — they run down the strings, the A at the top — hold a key and the note holds.

CelloFree · printable · plays in your browser

Brahms' Lullaby — Cello Notes

Brahms' Lullaby (the first half), written out for the cello as every note with its string and how far up it. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time — the cello waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes27, 7 pitches
  • RangeD3–C4
  • Key hereC major
  • Tempo92 bpm · about 16 s
  • LevelIntermediate

Can a cello play Brahms' Lullaby?

✓ Plays as written Every note of it is on the cello, in C major from D3 to C4. The check is made note by note against what the instrument can actually sound.

Brahms' Lullaby: cello notes

The large line is the note; the small line under it is the string, and how many semitones above its open note to stop it. A dash holds the note another beat, an underline is half a beat, and a dot beside a note makes it half as long again. Each line is one phrase.

▶ Play it above

Brahms' Lullaby — cello notes · tonalics.com

The 7 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 7 and you can play the whole tune.

  • DD·0×4
  • ED·2×7
  • FD·3×3
  • GD·5×5
  • AA·0×3
  • BA·2×3
  • CA·3×2

What to expect on a cello

  • It runs from D3 to C4, a minor seventh, using 7 different notes. That leaves 14 semitones unused below and 16 above.
  • 54% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a tritone, F3 to B3, at note 23.
  • It is played on 2 strings (D and A), crossing between strings 5 times.
  • 7 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 5 semitones above the open string — it never leaves the bottom of the neck.

About the tune

Brahms published it in 1868 as “Wiegenlied”, Op. 49 No. 4, written for his friend Bertha Faber on the birth of her second son. It is the tune most music boxes play.

Johannes Brahms, "Wiegenlied", Op. 49 No. 4, 1868. Public domain. The first half of the melody. More about Brahms' Lullaby →

Brahms' Lullaby on other instruments

The same melody, in each instrument’s own notation. It is not offered for the guzheng or handpan, which do not have the notes.

More songs for the cello

All 36 cello songs · Christmas songs for cello · The online cello on its own

Playing it on a real cello?

If it sounds wrong, check the instrument before the notes. The cello tuner listens through your microphone and names what each note is actually sounding.

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