The days grow shorter and the countryside turns a blazing orange as the sun slides lower in the sky with each passing rotation of the Earth. Scampering squirrels hurry to collect acorns for the inevitable snow and cold while woolly caterpillars slowly squiggle along the ground, in abundance this year, perhaps a harbinger of a long winter ahead.
The autumnal smell of crackling wood fires and smoke gently wafting from chimneys during the evening twilight is one of my favorite parts of fall. The mornings are crisp this time of year as light gray mist hovers just above the fields as the sun crests over the eastern horizon spreading an array of warmth across the sky.
Soon the spectacular foliage will be just a fallen memory as the trees go bare and the dead leaves crackle in the November winds. By then, mornings will be frosty and flurries may fly across the landscape. Speaking of frosty mornings, a 7am Blue Band gameday practice in late November on a clear, calm morning with snare drum rim shots rifling across the field as the ground crunches underfoot is something to behold.
But before the world turns barren and the snow drifts pile up on the lawn, we have October. A beautiful yet somewhat bittersweet month. A time for reflection.
Frequent readers of this blog know I love a wide variety of music. In this case, I think Eric Whitacre did an extraordinary job capturing the many sights, sounds, and feelings above in his piece for wind ensemble, October. One of my favorite pieces for wind band, it exquisitely sums up all the feelings of the month in 7 minutes.
From falling leaves to pumpkin pies. From a hayride at sunset to taking a walk at sunrise. October is a month of change as we slip into autumn.
I think I need to turn on my gas fire place and pour myself a glass of whiskey.
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