No. 7: Spring Vibes
No. 7: Spring Vibes
Lighthearted works by Schumann + Levertov
This’ll be a pretty short one — the weather feels like it’s starting to turn in Nashville and I happened to rediscover some “lighthearted” pieces that resonate with that shift!
Claritas: 3
by Denise Levertov
I was on a hunt for words to set to music for a friend and I stumbled on a beautiful poem by Denise Levertov in six parts. My favorite is the third, so I’m just gonna take it out of context and leave it here for you to enjoy.
What is an All-Day bird? I don’t know. Whatever it is, it sits throughout the six parts of the poem contemplating how best to sing. I feel like a “singing bird” makes a really easy cliche, too, so it’s all the more cool when a piece like this captures such an essential idea in a captivating way. The whole thing feels more than just anticipatory of spring: the wise, almost restrained tone relishes the present weather and nature of this barely-spring time.
You can view the whole thing on the Poetry Foundation’s website here if you’d like!
Piano Quintet No. 44 Op. 1 Mov. 1
by Robert Schumann
I heard this performed by colleagues months ago here at music school, and it’s gorgeous! One moment stood out to me way back when I heard it where the viola and cello toss a sweet, simple melody back and forth. It goes on for no more than ten seconds, but they’re so light and forward moving!
The clip below is set to play right at this exact moment, but definitely rewind to listen to the full thing from the beginning — it’s played by some legendary classical musicians!
Listening to this section back in November (when things were gloomy, rainy, and overall just sucky) felt like a premonition of the excitement and energy that I’m only just now feeling as spring inches in! Disappointingly, the “official” start to spring doesn’t happen until March…
So in the mean time, I’ll fare better by channeling Levertov’s beautiful imagery and sense of presence — enjoying the weird weather, indecisive bulbs (are we sprouting yet?) and the fact that by the evenings, I’ve sweated straight through the jacket I would’ve frozen without in the morning.
A Prompt
Take five minutes to immerse yourself in the present moment, exactly as it is. That means it’s probably a weird time to pause — but that’s okay.
Don’t just slow down: stop. Contemplate, soak in, and enjoy this entirely unique moment you have where you are. Even tomorrow will be different!
I love the open-ended ambiguousness of "round enough." Round enough for what?! That phrase has been rolling around my brain ever since I read it. It's become my portable contemplation. :)