commissioned by Jen Oliverio
The word vernal can refer to two things: youthfulness or the season
of spring. Sunday is also the beginning of a new week. The
commissioner, Jennifer, said to me that she enjoys watching her
child explore and discover the world for the first time. When we
think of childhood we also think of the spring season and things
associated with it, such as butterflies, gardens, lush fields, trees, and
water. A Vernal Sunday explores the emotions associated with being
a child in the season of spring or summer, especially on Sundays
when the entire family is most likely together, with endless play and
discovery in the outside world that seems so vast when we’re so
young and haven’t seen everything there is to a particular region.
The music moves between slower and faster tempi in both duple and
compound meters, lending to the feeling of discovery, playfulness,
and unpredictability throughout.