The Summer Snows by Clinton H. Blake III 1920 – 1999
I enjoy the summer snows in the green meadows,
Though some just call them dandelions
And root them out.
When in the slow and furry heat of early June
I watch their quiet, pontific nods
As, length by length,
They stand thick-clustered columns–gothic cryst’lline spars–
Tall reaching as they search the breeze’s strength;
Then, in an early hour when the mist still crawls,
They shape a glist’ning panopy
For commonwealths:
Shelt’ring soft a labyrinthine host of species
Which live and breed to prey and die,
Each with its own.
And now these snows must fly upon the gentling wind
To generate the life they must disown.
“The Summer Snows” is inspired by the above poem written by my uncle, Clinton Hamlin Blake III. Rev. Blake was a country Episcopal minister who lived in Maine and up-state New Hampshire. He often lived in the small hamlet of Sugar Hill and wrote much poetry and piano music. Dandelions, the “physical” topic of “The Summer Snows,” are plentiful and very beautiful in up-state New Hampshire. In keeping with Uncle Clinty’s interest in the past, I used a melody from Ludwig Senfle’s part song “Ich Shell mein Horn ins Jamers Ton” as the CF for what resembles a classical chorale prelude.
The original version of Summer Snows, for percussion quartet, can be found in the “Chamber Music” category. This “Re-mix” takes full advantage of the possibilities of Finale playback, adding complexities difficult to attain in live performance.