The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming, and the weather is warm - spring has finally arrived! What better way to celebrate the change of season than singing about it? The art song repertoire is filled with spring-themed songs in all styles and languages, and if you're performing a spring recital, a few songs about the season could be especially fitting for your program. Try out these songs, or use them as a jumping off point for planning your perfect spring program! 

Baroque and Classical

"Thus the ever Grateful Spring" from The Fairy Queen by Henry Purcell

Henry Purcell's The Fairy Queen is a masque based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, with short acts relating to Shakespeare's original text. This aria is sung in Act IV by Spring during a section of the act that features a personification of all four seasons.

"La rondinella amante" from Griselda by Antonio Vivaldi

Sung by Corrado in Vivaldi's Griselda, this aria tells the story of a loving swallow who is faithful to his beloved and the lasting memories of a first love. Its soaring vocal line even reminds the listener of bird songs, which is especially fitting for springtime.

"Das Veilchen" by Wolfgang A. Mozart

This charming and bittersweet art song tells the story of a little violet who falls in love with a young shepherdess. As the violet pines over the maiden, she unknowingly steps on him, but he is content to die at the hand- or rather, the foot- of his love.

Romantic

"Er ist's" by Hugo Wolf

Simple and delightful, "Er ist's" praises the upcoming season of spring. It's a perfect song to help your audience forget about the winter and welcome in the warmth!

"Les papillons" by Ernest Chausson

Through butterfly imagery, "Les papillons" illustrates the narrator's desire to reunite with their lover. They imagine flying alongside butterflies in the "blue path of the air" and flying through spring sceneries in order to be with their love once more.

"Die Mainacht" by Johannes Brahms

"Die Mainacht," or "The May Night," paints a sadder picture of spring's young lovers. While observing loving pairs of birds cooing to each other, the narrator ruminates on their own lack of love and prays they will meet their soulmate soon.

"Se tra l'erba" by Stefano Donaudy 

Another spring song about love, "Se tra l'erba" features a lover celebrating the return of spring, and with it, idyllic days spent with their partner.

Contemporary

"Just-Spring" by John Duke

A setting of the e.e.cummings poem by the same name, "Just-Spring" describes exactly that - all of the lovely things that happen just in the spring. The nonsensical nature of the text adds to the contemporary flair and the jubilant energy of the song itself.

"Das eilende Bächlein" by Erich Korngold

"Das eilende Bächlein" is a conversation between a rushing stream and the speaker who watches the stream hurry by. When the speaker asks the stream why it rushes, the stream responds and describes how time passes differently for streams than it does for humans.

"Air champêtre" by Francis Poulenc 

Another song featuring spring, "Air champêtre" carries a slightly heavier tone than many of the other songs in this category. The narrator in this piece seeks comfort in the spring as he mourns the death of a friend.

There are many reasons to sing about spring, so why wait? Check out these pieces before the summer comes and celebrate the loveliest season with song.