The in G minor (sometimes followed parenthetically by the Finnish translation or by the English translation Cradle Song) is a concert piece for violin and accompaniment written in 1904 by the Finnish composer Armas Järnefelt. Originally for violin and piano, the piece is better known as an arrangement for violin and orchestra that Järnefelt made the same year. At this time, he also made a version of solo piano.
Along with the earlier Prelude () for orchestra (1900), the is Järnefelt's most well-known piece—together, their popularity has "eclipsed" the composer's other works. Indeed, the two "melodically charming miniatures" frequently are recorded together. A typical performance of the lasts about three minutes.
History According to Järnefelt, he wrote the in one sitting, having been inspired upon seeing his young daughter, Eva (then about two-years old, having been born on 7 November 1901), asleep in bed with a fever. Appropriately, then, it is a peaceful, "beautifully atmospheric" cradle song with a touch of melancholy, as the solo violin's main theme is "warm" yet "sorrowfully songful".
Järnefelt sold the to the Helsinki-based publishing house of (), which in 1905 began issuing the piece—in all three versions by the composer—in conjunction with the German firm Breitkopf & Härtel. The version for violin and piano, moreover, includes a dedication to the Swedish violinist Sigrid Lindberg.
Music It is scored for violin solo, 2 clarinets (in B), bassoon, 2 horns (in F), and strings. The tempo is marked Andante; the piece is in and the key of G minor.
Recordings The sortable table below lists commercially available recordings of the : ConductorOrchestraViolin soloTimeRecording venueLabel1Victor Concert Orchestra 19262:55Camden, New JerseyVictor2Royal Opera Orchestra 19283:08Covent GardenHis Master's Voice3Merek Weber Orchestra ?2:44?His Master's Voice4London Symphony Orchestra 19332:56Abbey Road StudiosWarner Classics5National Symphony Orchestra 19473:03?RCA Victor6Örebro Chamber Orchestra 19743:06Örebro Castle7 Jyväskylä City Orchestra19823:32Taulumäki ChurchFinlandia8Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra19883:17Kulttuuritalo yle9Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra19903:06Berwald HallSony Classical10Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra19943:12Finlandia HallOndine11 (1)Detroit Symphony Orchestra19943:54Orchestra HallDSO12 (2)Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra19953:05Gothenburg Concert HallDeutsche Grammophon13Turku Philharmonic Orchestra19953:03Turku Concert HallNaxos14Gävle Symphony Orchestra 19963:28Sterling Records15Lahti Symphony Orchestra20083:40Sibelius HallBIS
Notes, references, and sources