Louis Moreau Gottschalk was the foremost American virtuoso pianist of his time and also an important composer. His works tended to be light and somewhat exotic in sound, and usually quite challenging for the performer. To an extent, this four- to five-minute Berceuse falls outside the boundaries of all those descriptions. True, in the sweet dreaminess of its main theme and the glittering colors of its keyboard writing, it cannot be described as a composition of great depth. But its songful lullaby manner and overall beauty elevate it to the level of something quite moving, something the listener can return to again and again. The main theme, played over a gentle running figure, is soothing in its soaring, lush Romanticism and in its mesmerizing comfort. When cascades of descending notes enter about a half-minute into the piece, they add a dreamy, harp-like effect to the work. The mood of the music darkens just a bit as it proceeds, but hardly shirks its fluid, gentle manner. The work ends as sweetly and as beautifully as it began. This piece was arranged as a quite lovely song by Gottschalk disciple Lucièn Lambert in 1898.

© Robert Cummings, Rovi