Intermezzo in E-flat majorOp. 117 No. 1

The first of Brahms's Three Intermezzi, Op. 117, published by Simrock in 1892. Above the music stand two lines of a Scottish lullaby from Herder's Volkslieder, beginning "Sleep softly, my child, sleep softly and sweetly". Marked Andante moderato in 6/8, the E-flat major melody lies inside a rocking accompaniment; a darker Più Adagio middle section moves to E-flat minor before the lullaby returns. This edition follows the 1892 Simrock first edition.