the act of singing a quiet song to lull a child to sleep
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lullaby \lull"a*by\, n. [From {Lull}, v. t. ] 1. A song to quiet babes or lull them to sleep; that which quiets. --Shak.
2. Hence: Good night; good-by. [Obs.] --Shak.
One does not often find a soprano who can look like a country girl and give such an accomplished account of both the big aria at the end of act one and the lullaby in act three.
As in the best of such pieces there is a variety of styles and attitudes: a haunting lullaby to a poem by WH Auden, conjuring its nocturnal spell over an irregular rocking rhythm, is followed by a crisp and sardonic Stevie Smith setting.
He was also known among fans for his "I Will Take You Home," a lullaby written for his two daughters.