Celia Berk, vocals
Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf, cello
Cello arrangement by Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf

Celia:

I first heard this Austrian Christmas carol sung by the Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel. The exceptionally beautiful melody stayed with me, and I learned it is a folk tune dating back to 1865. A wiegenlied or “cradle song”, this lullaby describes the infant Jesus being sung to sleep.

I shared it with my friend Scott Lehrer, who has produced most of my recordings. We had done a holiday medley with a jazz arrangement the previous year, and agreed we wanted to do something different this time. When I said I could hear a cello, Scott suggested Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf. I was delighted she was willing to collaborate. In her lovely cello arrangement, you can hear the falling snow and feel the gentle rocking of the cradle.

The German version is attributed to Georg Götsch. There are a number of English translations, and I chose from the ones that best expressed a sense of wonder and awe.

I knew I wanted to do one of the four verses in German, and then return to the German at the very end. The English translation of the German verse is:

Hush, hush, hush,
For the little child wants to sleep!
Maria sings to him,
Offers him her chaste breast.
Hush, hush, hush,
For the little child wants to sleep.