The universal language of music
When we think of rocking a baby to sleep, that tranquil glockenspiel timbre omitting endless repeats of Brahms’s lullaby Wiegenlied often enters our collective mind. Indeed, this became something of an earworm in my house as I drifted closer and closer towards insanity whilst convincing my then three month-old that she could, in fact, go to sleep without rhythmically pulling my hair out. In these lonely, early hours, I began thinking of lullabies more deeply; questioning why they are such potent sleep engines and whether they possess some magic component that helps them to endure across many demographics today.
I’m often asked, ‘Why music?’ when there are so many established and emerging wellbeing practices out there. My answer is always, ‘Because we as humans are uniquely and instinctively poised to respond to it.’ If you think about the earliest days of human evolution, we intuitively knew that a low, rumbling sound probably signalled a nearby predator or a coming storm – in both instances, a sign to get out of the way! We see this instinct tapped into even now. There’s a great line in the film The Holiday when Jack Black’s character speaks about John Williams’s Jaws theme tune: ‘Two notes, and you’ve got a villain!’ Essentially, our bodies understand sound more profoundly than any words because it is biologically linked to our sense of self-preservation. In the context of our human evolution, the language we speak today is in its infancy.
Lullabies slow the heart and breathing rate...
In the same vein as this biological response, lullabies are engineered to shift an infant’s physical and emotional state. They are themselves functional engines to slow the heart rate and encourage bonding, and can have a profoundly positive impact on parents too… not simply by helping to tackle that familiar insomnia that has you watching terrible sitcom reruns at 2am. For such simple and innocent pieces, there really is so much intentional function to talk about. If we examine the specific musical components that send our infants to the land of the nod, we find that the core foundation of the most effective lullabies is grounded in tempo entrainment. It’s no coincidence that lullabies are typically sung at around 60-80 beats per minute, which is close to our resting heartrate.
This tempo is in turn much easier for infant’s bodies to synchronise to – or entrain to – gradually lowering their heart and breathing rate and preparing them for sleep. Additionally, the repetition within the melodies and phrases creates a sense of predictability that shifts the brain from alert mode to a parasympathetic state – ie rest and digest – and never have two words sounded more appealing when you’re in the newborn trenches!
Lullaby melodies move in smooth, stepwise patterns
Another layer that is often taken for granted is the shape of the melody and the choice of intervals within phrases. If you listen to lullabies with an analytical ear, you’ll find that much of the melody centres around a stepwise pattern. There’s unlikely to be any Celine Dion-style leaps which might not only wake the baby but cause some problems for any parent trying to sing along at 3am. The stepwise movement creates a smooth, predictable contour that reduces cognitive load and reinforces a sense of predictability and safety.
You might also notice a strong tendency towards descending melodic patterns, which help to mirror the sensation of the body letting go of tension and falling asleep. This is all underpinned by consonant harmony which, although simple, is powerfully effective in helping to create an instinctive sense of reassurance that young minds can understand long before they understand language itself.
Lullabies... soft dynamics, the low register of speech and mimicking the womb
Alongside the musical elements of lullabies are the stylistic ones that again tap into our collective subconscious understanding of what we need to hear to be able to fall asleep. Most prominently, the way in which lullabies are universally sung hugely influences how sleep inducing they can be. Unless you’re singing ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ in the style of Meatloaf, then you’re probably using a soft dynamic, a breathy timbre and gravitating towards lower pitches. Singing in a lower register closely resembles speech patterns and is perceived as warmer and less stimulating – and with less arousal comes more sleep.
Then, of course, there is the timbre we use to create a sleep-inducing atmosphere – and our ability to instinctively produce this is something that has always amazed me. I remember taking my little one to an appointment when she was around two weeks old, and in the room was a small machine that repeatedly made ‘ssssshhh’ sounds to help the little ones drift off – safe to say there were a few heavy-eyed adults in the room, too. This sparked my curiosity and made me engage in a bit of research, and I realised that the breathy ‘whoosh’ is a sound that comforts babies through its emulation of the womb environment. In this same sense, the breathy voice that we use when singing lullabies taps into this calming instinct.
But lullabies don’t just work on the ears, they surround the senses – and it is the multi-sensory environment that the music leads us to create which really is the finishing touch. The tempo, melodic direction, phrasing and gentle rhythm all help to enforce physical movements such as rocking and breathing patterns to create a powerful bonding loop between caregiver and baby.
Lullabies from different cultures
One of the things I love most about music is its ability to transcend demographics and become a universal language that allows for diverse representation – and lullabies are no exception to this. In the same way that traditional folk songs embody different melodic, harmonic and lyrical idioms of particular places and their people, there are many examples of cultural transmission within different lullabies. Western lullabies often use simple harmonic progressions (I-IV-V) that create a predictable, consonant sound, which can be heard in pieces such as The Beatles’ ‘Golden Slumbers’, Mozart’s Wiegenlied and indeed, most famously, Brahms’s lullaby.
Indeed, there are many examples of celebrated European lullabies still prominent today that use such harmonic patterns alongside repetitive phrasing, stepwise melodies and symmetrical structure. However, looking a little further afield, it is interesting to hear different cultural norms reflected. Irish and Celtic lullabies frequently use pentatonic and modal scales alongside vocal ornamentation (perhaps indicative of regional dialects) while Scandinavian tunes are often based around modal scales and more tonal ambiguity.
If we look at the lullaby’s identity on a global scale, tunes from the Philippines can be seen to combine Austronesian pentatonic scales with Spanish tonal influence, Turkish lullabies embody microtones and ornamentation, and Javanese lullabies are often based around the ‘slendro’ (5-note scale) or ‘pelog’ (7-note scale with uneven internals) which creates more pitch intrigue and as such, a different kind of engaging atmosphere. The more I’ve looked into lullabies, the more evidence I’ve found for them being intelligent pieces of sonic art that both encapsulate cultural identity whilst using the elements of music that induce calm and bonding in that particular society.
Lullabies... most effective when sung in the parent's familiar voice
No matter how diverse lullabies may be, one component that sits at the very heart of their transmission is the voice of the person delivering it. The many functional elements of the lullaby are undeniably effective but can be elevated substantially by a familiar voice. Babies are exposed to sounds in utero and are uniquely attuned to their caregivers’ voices. I certainly remember my baby kicking at the sound of her dad singing – though that could very well have been a plea for him to stop! In any case, you don’t have to be Pavarotti for these little songs to be highly effective when delivered in your own way. In this sense, they can go beyond a passive listening experience and become a profound method of connection and co-regulation between you and your baby.
Indeed, the harder you look at these pieces, the more ingredients you find that point to them being soothing songs for adults as well as children, and alongside all of the musical benefits, there are often lyrical themes that quietly depict struggle and longing. In this sense, these songs become a gentle emotional release as well as an aid for sleep.
The incredible endurance of lullabies
For me, this sense of release provided a safe space as I limped through those early newborn days, and this actually led me to write some of my own lullabies for my little one. I found myself tapping into all of these familiar musical elements, while using my own words to create a lyrical depiction of my own thoughts and feelings in this fragile and vulnerable time. In a modern context, when so much of parenting is supported by technology – white noise machines, rocking machines and even baby sleep analysis socks (which I’m sure would have sent me insane with analytics paranoia) – it’s incredibly striking that lullabies have endured. Of course, technology yields many benefits, but the perseverance of these innocent, beautiful tunes shows undeniably that there will always be a place for a gentle melody and a calm, familiar voice.
While I may still be very much in survival mode from sleep deprivation, I can safely say that I have gained a newfound appreciation for the humble lullaby, and I truly believe that this ancient musical form will continue to endure through the voices of new generations that continue to hold them close. In this sense, they really are one of the most important forms of communication we have.
