Proms at Home

‘Lullaby’ from Stravinsky’s The Firebird

Welcome to Proms at Home!

Open your ears, unlock your imagination and enjoy the musical ride!

This week, as part of Proms at Home, we’re going to fall under the spell of a very special creature as we explore ‘Lullaby’ from Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird.

The Firebird – ‘Lullaby’

We begin by travelling to Russia for a fairy tale …

It’s a tale all about a young prince called Ivan, who uses a feather to summon a magical Firebird to rescue him. The evil Kashchey the Immortal and his monsters have trapped Prince Ivan in an enchanted garden. But the Firebird casts a spell over everyone, making them dance until they are so tired that they fall into a deep, deep sleep.

Can you guess what happens next?

A young composer called Igor Stravinsky didn’t have to guess. He was born in 1882 in Russia and knew the story of the Firebird very well. Stravinsky turned the whole fairy tale into a ballet, full of dramatic and beautiful music.

Why do you think The Firebird is a good story to tell using dance?

Stravinsky was very clever. So, when he needed to cast a sleepy spell over Kashchey and the monsters, he knew exactly what music to compose: a lullaby!

Lullabies are songs we hear when we are very young, often as we are rocked to sleep in someone’s arms or in a cradle. That’s why they are usually simple, soothing and quiet. You won’t find any trumpet blasts or big bass drums in a lullaby!

Watch this clip of the Firebird’s lullaby, performed by Gianandrea Noseda and the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Philharmonic at the 2004 Proms. See if you can hear – and move along with – the gentle rocking motion in the music.

Can you hear the delicate, repeating notes on the harp creating a calm, swaying motion? Those notes are cuddling us into sleep. Meanwhile gentle sounds from the violins and violas seem to spread a soft musical blanket over us.

(Image: Pete Dadds)

Listen Out ...

For two instruments that Stravinsky uses to create a mysterious and dreamy melody (or tune) in the Firebird’s lullaby. 

They are the bassoon and the oboe.  

The long notes they play seem to float on the air like magic dust. How does the music of the bassoon and the oboe make you feel?

Where Next?

  • If you want to stay under a dreamy spell, you could lie back, look up at the clouds passing by and listen to ‘Nuages’ (‘Clouds’ in English) from French composer Claude Debussy’s Nocturnes.

    Here’s an audio clip of Ludovic Morlot and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra performing ‘Nuages’ at the 2018 Proms:
  • Perhaps, while you’re looking up at the sky, you’ll dream of flying like the Firebird? In Greek mythology a young man called Icarus dreams of flying. His father builds him a pair of wings using wax and feathers – but his journey ends in disaster when he flies too close to the sun and his new wings melt.

    At the Proms in 2019 composer and pianist Lera Auerbach brought the story of Icarus to life in an exciting new piece. Here it is being performed by Mark Wigglesworth and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain:
  • If you want to discover more about Stravinsky and hear more music from The Firebird, then check out this great Ten Pieces film with Claudia Winkleman.

Your Turn

  • If you were casting a spell to send someone to sleep, what magical words would you use?

    Listen again to the twisting, enchanting melodies of the bassoon and oboe in Stravinsky’s ‘Lullaby’. Can you write the words of your short spell to speak or sing alongside their melody?
  • In this video the brilliant Lucy Drever will show you how to create your very own lullaby, inspired by the participants of the Irene Taylor Trust’s Lullaby Project, and using backing tracks recorded by the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

    Happy singing – and we hope you’ll have lots more orchestral adventures with Proms at Home.

    Proms at Home notes by Andrew McCaldon

For more activities throughout the summer, visit the Proms at Home website.