The Seasons (Haydn)
The opening of Spring describes winter going away and spring awakening. There is a chorus which sounds very pastoral (like the countryside) with its 6/8 rhythm and drones (like country bagpipes). Simon then sings about the farmer sowing his seed. He is accompanied by a bassoon which sounds like a lively farmer tilling the earth. There is a gentle hymn of praise with a fugue which sounds like one from Mozart's Requiem. Hanne invites the girls and Simon invites the men to go to the fields and admire the earth, water and air. A chorus praises God.