[Woodduck]

Devielhe's relaxed, croony singing and her slow tempo are certainly appropriate for babies and rocking cradles, not unattractive but a bit too sleepy. Piau is the opposite, a little too fast and tense to suggest the cradle. Gens strikes a happy medium.

 

[Woodduck]

Somewhere in my head, though, I have the sound of a deeper man's voice in the song and a quick search on youtube came up with José Van Dam and I do think I prefer it sung by a man.

I was thinking that too, though I'm not sure I've ever heard it sung by a man. Maybe I was just visualizing sailors in ships.

 

[Woodduck]

Frederica Von Stade, with pianist Jean-Philippe Collard:

Von Stade is mesmerizing.