The End of Summer—The Beginning of the New Year

The Celts reckoned time differently than we do. They began counting the days of the year in the fall, when days are short and the nights long. This timing makes intuitive sense to me. The end of the summer—of the growing season—is the end of one cycle and the beginning of the earth's rest. Inevitably, this time of year induces reflection in me; I retrace steps, think about the possibilities of time to come, and evaluate where I am now. A lot of this reflection happens as I bring in the harvest—either while I'm standing still soaking up the last rays of warm sunshine or as I'm scurrying to and from from garden to root cellar ahead of an impending frost.

This year, when the warmth of the September sun turned to chill October rain, plans for the Music as Meditation program tracked the shift from light to dark in accordance with the season; light and dark music from regions of stillness and motion found its way onto the program at the impetus of some talented musicians who will share their gifts on Sunday. Doris Henney and Nancy Farris have been playing together to prepare a performance of Poulenc's flute sonata. This work is light and dark and still and moving; few musical pieces are lighter—but few are deeper.

The rest of the program continues the contrast of light and dark. Small pieces by Edvard Grieg, Béla Bartók, and J.S. Bach and Ellen Schwindt's improvisations weave through images and ideas for encouraging us to treasure the waning days of warmth left before the snow comes. One part of the program invites listeners to look as well as listen. I will be gathering some tokens of the changing season for our contemplation during one particular improvisation. I've been thinking of this kind of thing as participatory listening and I hope to hear from listeners how this practice plays for them. At the close of our time together, Nancy Farris will send us into the autumn evening with a virtuosic performance of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in d minor—that most famous of gifts J. S. Bach left for us all.

This Music as Meditation takes place at 5 PM at Christ Episcopal Church on the corner of Pine and Main Streets in North Conway. Admission is free. I hope to share this program with many of you.