“If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” Percy Bysshe Shelley
Happy Ground Hog Day! This morning, I hope your own local rodent has brought good, spring-timey news to you and your community. In case you don’t remember the folklore, here’s how it works; if it’s cloudy when the Ground Hog comes out from its burrow on February 2, then spring weather will arrive before the vernal equinox. If it’s sunny, the Ground Hog will see his shadow and retreat back into his den, and winter will continue on for six more weeks.
February 2 is also a religious holiday called “Candlemas” with roots going back to Roman and pagan times. Religiously, it commemorates the purification of the Virgin Mary forty days after giving birth, as well as the presentation of Baby Jesus in the temple. The Roman and other pagan celebrations were more of a “bringing of light” kind of thing, celebrating days getting longer and lighter since it occurs exactly midway between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox.
German immigrants to Pennsylvania brought the woodchucks and ground hogs to the party; believing seeing, or not seeing, their shadows were predictors as to how soon spring-like weather will come. In fact, the rainier, snowier and greyer today is, the more likely spring will come sooner! We need spring; especially after the fall and winter we’ve had, don’t we?
You may ask yourself, why is Marie nattering on about Ground Hog Day and Candlemas and folklore? What do those things have to do with choral music? You are right, of course, to question my topic. What Ground Hog Day and Candlemas remind us of is this; it is really always darkest before the dawn and there is light at the end of the tunnel, despite the clichés. There is a rhythm to the seasons and, no matter what happens, spring is sure to follow winter. And yes, we can apply these things to our choral life.
The winter holiday concerts are over. Whatever Sturm und Drang we had to get through to make it to the other side, we got through it. We are now preparing for the next set of concerts or the next important holiday worship services and may feel a bit like “here we go again.” It might feel as if we won’t be able do it, but we can do it because we just did.
The terrible weather cancelling rehearsals or the virus du jour wreaking havoc with attendance are things we just dealt with in December; we can do it again. The days are getting longer; it stays light longer. It will soon get warmer; the germs passed around aren’t as nasty as the germs in the depths of winter. Things will get better, things will get easier, things will get simpler but we have to be patient enough to get through more tough bits first.
We choral folk are resilient and resourceful. We are presented new challenges on a daily basis and rise to the occasion. Every season brings with it its own set of special circumstances we must get through in order to present our Art. And we do it; day by day, season by season, and year by year because we love what we do.
I leave you with this thought; we are halfway through winter today, meaning spring will soon be here. I hope it’s cloudy and grey where you are!
mlathan475 says
That web address disappeared in that last message. http://marklathan.com/Compfiles/SOH_frames.htm
mlathan475 says
Maria – the details you wrote about are interesting and, since this Chicago area native tends to crave spring from about mid-January on, it’s a welcome reminder! I wrote a piece of music about this very topic using a text by Margaret Bruner called “Midwinter.” It’s part of a larger work called “Song of Hope” but can be heard at this web address if you go straight to the 4-minute mark:
UCLA Chorale, Angeles Chorale and UCLA Philharmonia under Donald Neuen
Thanks for your post!