Bach's best music for babies

Find out what baby Bach music is best for you! Parents have been playing classical music to their babies for years now, but which pieces by Bach are the best for little ones? Never mind the Mozart Effect…

Air from Orchestral Suite no. 3 (Air on the G String)

Imagine experiencing that famous string melody for the first time ever! Air on the G String has got one of those tunes that just embeds itself into your brain forever, so what better lasting impression of Bach's music is there to give to a baby?

Ave Maria

Credit where credit's due, the popularity of this one is down to Charles Gounod as it is to Bach - the Frenchman stuck his own melody over the top of Bach's Prelude No. 1 in C Major from the Well-Tempered Klavier. But that melody brought an incredible purity and simplicity with it, making it perfect for babies. 

Sheep May Safely Graze

There's a definite lullaby quality to this gorgeous little orchestral exploration. The harmonies are impossibly pretty and that string melody is unforgettable, so why not start your baby off on it sooner rather than later?

Goldberg Variations

This is a bit of an epic - maybe a good one for when your baby's starting to take longer naps. Each variation takes a slightly different approach to Bach's original theme, but they're all bound by one unifying idea. If any music was scientifically able to make your baby cleverer, then it's probably this. Perhaps go for a piano version rather than a harpsichord one though - a bit softer on the ears.

Herr Jesu Christ

It's one of the earliest pieces that Bach ever wrote, and it really does have a child-like sense of awe and wonder about it. It's thought he was only about 14 or 15 when he composed this delicate organ work, but it contains so many hallmarks of his later sound - mathematically precise dimensions and plaintive, accessible melodies.