Autumn has a unique feel to most people. There is always melancholy in fall, but also celebrations of life. The colourful leaves celebrate life and as they fall we are forced to contemplate death and the notion of ‘ending’. It’s no wonder that such an emotionally charged time for nature has evoked such sentimentality in music.
The time is so emotionally charged that our pumpkins from Halloween (‘Hallowed Evening’) are actually rooted from ancient pagan times when people thought the earth was dying (during fall). They thought that lighting a light in a gourd may bring the earth back to life.
http://www.gothicgourds.com/blog/history-of-pumpkins-and-halloween/
The Thomas Hood poem captures many of the feelings we all face as winter approaches:
November
No sun – no moon!
No morn – no noon –
No dawn – no dusk – no proper time of day.
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member –
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds! –
November!
— Thomas Hood
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hood
Here is a list of my personal autumn favourites:
Standards:
Modern (relatively):
Classical
(“Hey Martin, what about all the rest of the “Seasons” pieces for autumn?” This is my favourite list and although I love classical music, I don’t happen to like most of the ‘Seasons’ pieces. I know that is sacrilege to most classical fans, but if you like them, feel free to post them in the comments below.)
Feel free to post any of your favourite autumn songs / pieces in the comments.
