American composer Joel Puckett (b. 1977) has received critical praise for his work across many media, from band music to choirs and even an opera, The Fix. He had early musical training at home as the son of Dixieland musician and a classical tubist. He studied composition at the University of Michigan, where his teachers included Michael Daugherty and William Bolcom, among others. He is currently the Chair of Music Theory, Ear Training, and Piano Skills at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. He runs his own website, and is also featured at Wikipedia, the Wind Repertory Project, and New Music USA.

Puckett has this to say about Avelynn’s Lullaby (2011):

My daughter, Avelynn, arrived on a spring morning with a pep in her step. Since day one, she has had the energy of three babies [although, to be honest, I’m not sure how that is measured].

Our nighttime routine has become set in stone. I give her a bath, put her in her pajamas, and we read a book or two. And then we come to my favorite portion of the routine: the lullabies. Doing my part, I sing her slow lullabies while rocking her and she does her part, fighting the onset of sleep.

By far her favorite lullaby is the one my mother used to sing to me: “Sail Far Away, Sail Across the Sea, Only don’t forget to Sail, back again to me.”

At least, I thought it was the one my mother used to sing to me. I got curious about the rest of the verses and found that the piece was written in 1898 by Alice Riley and Jessie Gaynor and has only a passing resemblance to the song I remember my mother singing to me. Better yet, it has virtually no resemblance to the lullaby I had been singing to Avelynn!

So Avelynn’s Lullaby is both a journey of daddy trying to coax daughter to sleep and a journey of daughter enjoying the song, fighting sleep and eventually succumbing to slumber.

Avelynn’s Lullaby was commissioned by a consortium of American Universities led by the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University, Long Beach, John Carnahan, conductor.

Give it a listen:

Here also is that lullaby that didn’t quite make it to little Avelynn, “The Slumber Boat” by Riley and Gaynor:

One more vintage recording:

See more about Avelynn’s Lullaby at the Wind Repertory Project, Bill Holab Music, and Puckett’s website.