Spring is upon us, and in tow comes the blooming buds of trees, chirping birds, joys of growth, and other harmonious images of renewal. This season is alluded to in plenty of themes and symbols, so much so that its light meanings bleed into the art we make. Authors and composers are among those that see the colors of spring, and recreate it in their craft.
The annual phenomenon that we call ‘changing seasons’ holds great importance to us; plenty of our affairs rely on the climate, and the seasons drastically change the look of our environment. Because of this, we often see the theme of seasons in literature—most frequently featured in writing being the springtime.
According to penandthepad.com, “themes of rebirth and renewal often use symbols from the spring season. Spring also refers to love, hope, youth and growth.” These traditionally associated themes could be seen throughout the works of poets that tell their depictions of spring. William Shakespeare, in Sonnet 98, talks about the feelings of love that are brought about by spring, with the speaker longing for an absent partner, and telling us how April has “put a spirit of youth in everything”. The month of April is a common symbol of spring itself and is often referenced when writers mention the season.
Lilacs, one of the many flowers that bloom during springtime, whose purples and violets are often told in tandem with seasonal writings, like Amy Powell talking about their vibrancy and “heart-shaped leaves” in her free verse poem Lilacs.
Despite its optimistic tones and romantic symbolisms, however, spring has also been written as a more melancholic subject in literary works, contrasting with its traditionally bright and hopeful imagery. According to thenews.com.pk, “some modernist poets have portrayed a new, rejuvenating beginning brought about by spring in a satirically ambiguous way.”
This pertains to T. S. Eliot and his best-known poem The Waste Land, where he calls April “the cruelest month” because it breeds “lilacs out of the dead land.” Shakespeare himself has often taken a spin at spring, portraying it in a different way from Sonnet 98 with his other poem entitled Spring. In this one, he insinuates how the cuckoo bird that emerge to sing with the season actually use its calls to “mock married men.”
As for music, plenty of classical pieces translate the spring season into musical notes and orchestral sounds. Definitely one of the most famous spring pieces is Antonio Vivaldi’s Spring from his four violin concertos The Four Seasons. Each of the seasons were published with a poem accompanying them, and Vivaldi told the story of spring through cheerful and brightly composed strings in Spring’s three movements. The opening of the composition features Vivaldi’s violins mimicking the high singing sounds of birds, perfectly capturing the song of spring.
Another composer, Claude Debussy, made the symphonic poem Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune inspired by his friend Stéphane Mallarmé’s poem called The Afternoon of a Faun. This piece depicts Debussy’s interpretation of the poem, which was about a flute-playing faun drifting off to sleep in a lazy afternoon. Debussy communicates this story through his use of smooth and languid melodies, which makes hearing it feel almost like a soft midday nap amongst the spring-blooming flowers.
As the time of spring rolls by, it could serve as a reminder of the singsong tales of youth and love, or other promises of joy and new beginnings. It could also remind us of things that are not the most sweet and interesting, as birdsongs and springtime dances don’t always stick to the mood. Whether it be pastel blossoms that are put to mind, or the cold of the winter season still hasn’t thawed yet in April, spring will always come and people will always take note of it. Even outside of art where we often see it bring even more life to life.