Seasons of the Soul

Seasons.” It’s a versatile word. Seasons can cycle around in a continuous loop: spring, summer, fall, winter, spring. . . The seasons of the liturgical year do the same. Sometimes we speak of the ‘seasons of life’. But these seasons are linear, not cyclical; they follow one another never to return. (Shakespeare spoke of “the seven ages of man.”)  

Seasons of the soul? Perhaps what distinguishes them the other types of ‘season’ is their depth and intensity.  Deep grief; rejoicing that is rooted in gratitude; consolation that is experienced in the depths of one’s being.  Seasons of the soul have a profound quality, a depth of meaning and experience about them.

Agostino Steffani (1654-1728) was a composer, cleric, and diplomat. During his lifetime he was known mainly for his many operas and scores of chamber duets. Though his music was not completely neglected, his stature as a composer has been brought back to public attention in the recent years due largely to the efforts of Cecilia Bartoli.  Steffani’s Stabat mater was his final composition and is widely regarded as his masterpiece.  Its opening seven-note motif, heard in the first violin, is a representation of sorrow and anguish.  It appears in most of the piece’s twelve movements including in its final section, where its character becomes joyful as the choir sings about paradise.      

Bach’s music is sometimes viewed as having a mechanical quality lacking in lyricism. The opening aria of the cantata for alto, Vergnügte Ruh (O blessed rest), provides definitely refutes this idea. Its melody is positively lush, and the gently rolling accompaniment by strings and oboe anchors it in a sense of deep peace.      

Handel’s Let God Arise is the eleventh and final of his Chandos anthems, written in his early thirties.  It includes some virtuoso writing for the choir, some of which Handel revises in later compositions.  Listen in the final movement for strong ‘pre-echoes’ of the famous Hallelujah chorus.

Vivaldi’s ‘Spring’ concerto, the opening work of his Four Seasons, is well-known and well-loved.  It wonderfully captures the joyful energy of rebirth in the awakening of nature after winter. May what it depicts soon be reality for all of us!

 (Ken Hull, Artistic Director)