The Sound of October

It’s hard to believe that October is almost over! So this week I thought it would be fun to listen to some classical music directly inspired by this final autumn month.

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847)

In the summer of 1831, Mendelssohn Hensel began composing a piano cycle named Das Jahr (which means “The Year”). This 13-piece work (a movement for each month of the year plus an epilogue) is one of Hensel’s most important works, as it shows just how versatile a composer she was. Das Jahr was inspired by a trip Hensel took with her husband through Rome.

Not much is known about the composition process, but she did include a short poem to go along with each movement (I believe they were written by her husband Wilhelm Hensel). Here is the poem that accompanies October:

German text	English translation
Im Wald, im grünen Walde Da ist ein lustiger Schall.	In the forest, in the green forest There is a merry sound.

October is a lively and enthusiastic march. The work opens with hunting calls (listen for the dotted rhythms and the outline of the I chord), and this theme grows and shifts through turbulent harmonic changes. The movement ends in a triumphant mood.

Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

35 years after Hensel wrote Das Jahr, Tchaikovsky composed his piano cycle of 12 pieces called The Seasons. In 1875, Nikolay Matveyevich Bernard, the editor of the St. Petersburg music magazine Nouvellist, commissioned Tchaikovsky to write a short piece for each month of the year to be published in the magazine. Bernard also added subtitles and short epigraphs to each movement before publication.

The epigraph for October: Autumn Song was written by author Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy:

Autumn, our poor garden is all falling down, the yellowed leaves are flying in the wind.

And it’s a fitting description to add to the music. Tchaikovsky’s melancholic October paints an image of falling leaves, brisk weather, and nostalgia. It is the death of the season before winter’s invigorating electricity.

Prokofiev (1891-1953)

Not all music inspired by the tenth month of the year is beautiful and calming, however. In 1936, Prokofiev wrote an entire cantata (a narrative choral work accompanied by an orchestra) that tells the story of the October Revolution, including the Bolsheviks, the emergence of the Soviet Union, the 1917 battle for the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, and Stalin’s control over the Soviet Union. The Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution is 10 movements long, and sadly the government did not appreciate the satirical approach Prokofiev took in his music. In fact, it wasn’t even premiered until 30 years later – when Prokofiev’s commentary was no longer relevant (both Prokofiev and Stalin had died by that point).

The “October Cantata” is full of energy, sadness, beauty, and anger using text written by Marx, Lenin, and Stalin. For an in-depth look at this piece, read here.

Eric Whitacre (b. 1970)

Composed in 2000, Whitacre‘s October is similar to Tchaikovsky’s in the sense that autumn is a time of reflection and nostalgia. Whitacre said of his piece:

Something about the crisp autumn air and the subtle changes in light always make me a little sentimental, and as I started to sketch I felt the same quiet beauty in the writing. The simple, pastoral melodies and the subsequent harmonies are inspired by the great English Romantics, as I felt this style was also perfectly suited to capture the natural and pastoral soul of the season

This work is full of changing textures, signifying the change in seasons, and moving lines reminiscent of counterpoint paint images of leaves falling. The lush harmonies create a warmth and depth that contrast with the more contrapuntal sections.

Whitacre later arranged October for choir, naming it Alleluia:

Greg Maroney

Contemporary pianist and composer Maroney composed his piano solo October as part of his album Fall, which came out earlier this year (2018). Maroney said of the album:

Fall is the last [album] of this year’s project, depicting each of the seasons as I hear them. Fall is the time of harvest, reflection and preparation for the coming winter. The sunlight is changing, the days are becoming shorter and there is a wonderful aroma in the air. Summer’s activities and energy are drawing to a close. We can turn inward to reflect on our labors as well as enjoy the harvest.

October is a beautiful, reflective piano improvisation. The lyrical melody and continuous running accompaniment create images of swirling leaves, running rivers, and nostalgia. It perfectly captures the bittersweet October mood.

Thad Fiscella

Fiscella is known for his beautiful piano writing that incorporates simplicity and complexity at the same time. His album Love Without Words was “written for [Fiscella’s] family and friends, describing through music, the love and life experiences cherished together with them,” and that shows in his piece October Fade.

October Fade begins in sweet sadness, with the longing melody supported by wistful harmonies. It truly represents a change in seasons, whether it be a season in nature or a season in life. The introspection in the music transmits through the expression of deep emotions.