Beautiful Dreamer is a collection of lullabies arranged, performed & produced by Robin Spielberg on solo piano. A beautiful recording, a wonderful gift. Child Magazine included this collection of lullabies and children’s songs on their “Best CDs for children.”
Beautiful Dreamer is played in NICU’s throughout the US.
$1 from the sale of each CD will benefit The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA).
The Songs (Click the iTunes button to preview any of the songs)
1. Beautiful Dreamer
2. Lullaby & Goodnight (The Brahms Lullaby)
3. The Inch Worm (From “Hans Christian Andersen”)
4. Lavender Blue (From Walt Disney`s “Dumbo”)
5. Sing (from “Sesame Street”)
6. The Water Is Wide
7. Puff the Magic Dragon
8. Valerie
9. Childrens Medley (I`m A Little Teapot, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, The Wheels on the Bus, Row Row Row Your Boat) VIDEO HERE
10. On Top of Old Smokey
11. Edelweiss (From “The Sound of Music”)
12. You Are So Beautiful
13. Goodnight Irene
VALERIE’S STORY (SEE THE STORY ON YOUTUBE)
Valerie was born too early, and yet, almost too late…
My physicians performed an emergency c-section to save Valerie from an infection that had just taken the life of her twin sister in-utero. Seconds counted. I was in my 23rd week of pregnancy and Valerie’s chances of survival were slim. We watched, waited, and prayed as Valerie, weighing only 1 lb, underwent various procedures, surgery, and struggled through illnesses brought on by her prematurity. We all noticed that Valerie’s vitals (and those of the babies around her) improved when music was playing. Because she ‘listened’ to my music before her birth, it made sense to me to have familiar music playing by her incubator – music and prayer were the only things I could offer. Valerie overcame one obstacle after another during her four-month stay in the intensive care nursery. She was stronger than anyone could know.
Today I continue to share music with Valerie. This recording contains a few of the songs we now enjoy together. We hope you enjoy them too.
–Robin
Have a preemie? Visit Prematurity.org for information and support.
Reviews
“BEST CDs for Children” list in CHILD MAGAZINE!
FEATURED IN FIT PREGNANCY MAGAZINE!
$1 from the sale of each CD will benefit The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA)
Piano solos have never sounded prettier. Robin Spielberg’s enchanted fingers breathe new life info family favorites like “The Inch Worm,” “Lavender Blue,” and “The Water is Wide,” all with fine arrangements and crystalline production. Just as nice in the nursery as the den, this CD will touch the hearts of parents and kids alike.- Child Magazine
On the CD cover, it says that Beautiful Dreamer is solo piano lullabies for parent and child, but this very beautiful collection can soothe and relax anyone. The fourteen songs are pieces that Robin learned as a child and that mean a lot to her, so the stylings are very warm and personal. Robin’s elegant playing is laced with love in every note. Although I’m not a mom or an insomniac, I love this album! The selection of songs is wonderful. Not surprisingly, Brahms’ Lullaby is included along with the title track, Puff, the Magic Dragon, Edelweiss, and Lavender Blue. More of a surprise is The Inch Worm – a haunting and wistful song from the film Hans Christian Anderson, The Water is Wide touches the soul with its simple but heartfelt melody. You Are So Beautiful was a surprise, but it fits in perfectly and glows with a mother’s love. Robin also included a piece composed in Valerie’s honor, and it bears her name. Robin is one of my very favorite composers as well as pianists, and this gentle piece epitomizes Robin’s composing and playing style. I hope one day Valerie will appreciate the wonder of this gift! Robin also assembled a montage of children’s songs and nursery rhymes that makes me smile each time I hear it.
Along with soothing the soul, $1 from the sale of each album generated from robinspielberg.com or northstarmusic.com will go to The March of Dimes, the organization responsible for much of the lifesaving equipment needed to help critically ill babies and premature infants. This is a wonderful album with a wonderful cause. I highly recommend it!”-Kathy Parsons for Solo Piano Publications
Pianist and new age composer Robin Spielberg gave birth to her daughter Valerie in the 23rd week of her pregnancy. During the preemie’s long recovery, Robin played her the soothing music of her own CDs. The intensive care staff noted that Spielberg’s music had a positive effect, both on Valerie and on the babies nearby, so when her daughter came home four months later, Robin created an album of lullabies in honor of her arrival. Beautiful Dreamer contains lovely piano solos ranging from Brahms to “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.” –Fit Pregnancy Magazine
Remember the beautiful lullabies of childhood? In Beautiful Dreamer, Robin Spielberg offers 14 ‘solo piano lullabies for the Parent and Child’. A new mother herself, Robin brings special warmth and tenderness to each lullaby as she explores that intimate connection of the heart that exists between mother and child. Here is the perfect gift for any new parent as well as sweet dreams for your own Beautiful Dreamer. Nostalgic, comforting, and very highly recommended. – Omega New Age Directory
The always enchanting Robin Spielberg is back…with a little something different this time around. Now that she is a mother, Ms. Spielberg has recorded a variety of piano pieces specifically aimed at the ears of the little ones… Beautiful stuff…but it is not just to be enjoyed by children. (As a secret admission, we probably like this disc in particular because…despite all our ranting and raving…we ourselves are really just big babies.) Best wishes to the Spielberg family. This would be a great disc to play for your children when they are very, very young to calm and sooth them. Our bet is that this would silence even the crankiest of babies…! Simple and beautiful.”- Baby Sue Music Review
Beautiful Dreamer is an intimate collection of lullabies that are familiar, soothing, wistful, magical…Highly recommended, both for babies and adults.- Aquarius
This collection of mostly childhood favorites is brimming with gentle, unruffled, unhurried melodies. There are plenty of obvious choices choices – the title track as well as ‘Brahms Lullaby’, “Lavender Blue” and “Puff the Magic Dragon” – along with similarly soft-spun arrangements of “On Top of Old Smokey”, “The Water is Wide” and a childrens medley that includes “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “Row Row Row Your Boat”. Even the Joe Cocker hit, “You Are So Beautiful” is lullingly reprised by Spielberg, a classically trained pianist who has a way of making a Steinway Grand sound like one big, giant music box. “Valerie”, the only original piece on the album, is named after Spielberg’s year-old daughter,and like everything else here, the tune reflects the pianist’s appreciation for quiet time, tender thoughts and, more than anything else, sweet dreams. – The Washington Post
The songs radiate a sincerity drawn from experience. As always, Spielberg’s touch is lyrical and gracious” – Carol Wright, New Age Voice
…a stunning collection of solo piano pieces for little ones. – New England Entertainment Digest
Spielberg’s sonorous Steinway piano has soothed listeners into a ruminative state of relaxation on seven previous albums. On this new outing, she turns her attention to those timeless tunes heard in childhood, treating them as delicious daydreams through artful arrangements…it is the gloriously melancholic traditional tune, “The Water is Wide” that is most memorable here; normally dependent upon a soul-searching vocal line for its undeniable impact, Spielberg’s intriguing arrangement veers off into new directions, yet loses none of the orignal’s heart-wringing sentiment. Another lovely lullaby is “Lavender Blue” from the movie Dumbo; rarely recorded, it has a happy, yet healing ambience that never fails to bring sweet smiles”. PJ Birosik, CDNOW
Pianist and new age composer Robin Spielberg gave birth to her daughter Valerie in the 23rd week of her pregnancy. During the preemie’s long recovery, Robin played her the soothing music of her own CDs. The intensive care staff noted that Spielberg’s music had a positive effect, both on Valerie and on the babies nearby, so when her daughter came home four months later, Robin created an album of lullabies in honor of her arrival. Beautiful Dreamer contains lovely piano solos ranging from Brahms to “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” – Fit Pregnancy Magazine July 2000
Robin covers classic family films, Disney, Sesame Street, and other selections in a very even and flowingly gentle way, providing a soothing backdrop…”Inch Worm” from the movie Hans christian Anderson with Danny Kaye is moody with the melody appropriately creeping along to match the title. Anne Murray won a Juno award (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy) for her rendition, and Robin’s instrumental recording here is equally good….The traditional “The Water is Wide” is soft, yet brings a similiar stirring emotional power like found in “Danny Boy”. Robin’s original composition, “Valerie”, named for her daughter, captures beauty and power…”-Warren Kurtz for City Magazine (Southwest Virginia’s Arts & Leisure Guide)