Spring Wind
for mixed choir (SATB) and piano
words by William Sharp (Fiona MacLeod, 1855–1905)
Difficulty: Intermediate-Advanced
On the most basic, visceral level, Spring Wind is a celebration of the season through vivid text painting. Like a March wind gusting through forests, fields, and villages, the choir and piano rampage gleefully through a variety of tonal areas and scintillating textures, evoking the radiant colors of spring as they emerge to replace winter's drab palette.
On a deeper level, the piece is a process of transformation from turbulence to calm. In the final section (once the wind has finally died down), the music dispenses with the poem's romantic bluster and takes on a mood of meditative tranquility. This “in like a lion, out like a lamb” approach to form reminds us that spring can be viewed not as a time of excess but of equilibrium; a time to be quietly thankful for the warmth and stillness that accompany the end of winter.
The score is self-published and can be bought here.
Premiere: Musaic Vocal Ensemble, Summerland, BC, April 2016
On the most basic, visceral level, Spring Wind is a celebration of the season through vivid text painting. Like a March wind gusting through forests, fields, and villages, the choir and piano rampage gleefully through a variety of tonal areas and scintillating textures, evoking the radiant colors of spring as they emerge to replace winter's drab palette.
On a deeper level, the piece is a process of transformation from turbulence to calm. In the final section (once the wind has finally died down), the music dispenses with the poem's romantic bluster and takes on a mood of meditative tranquility. This “in like a lion, out like a lamb” approach to form reminds us that spring can be viewed not as a time of excess but of equilibrium; a time to be quietly thankful for the warmth and stillness that accompany the end of winter.
The score is self-published and can be bought here.
Premiere: Musaic Vocal Ensemble, Summerland, BC, April 2016