The Cherry Snows

For SATB Choir

Listen:

Program Notes

I discovered the poem that inspired The Cherry Snows while searching through a collection of public-domain poetry during the early winter months of 2011. I was immediately drawn to the quiet beauty of the text—gentle and restrained on the surface, yet filled with a deeper sense of emotion and reflection.

With poetry this delicate, an a cappella setting felt like the most natural way to allow the words to speak. Without instrumental accompaniment, the voices become both storyteller and atmosphere, giving the text space to unfold while allowing the harmonies themselves to shape its emotional landscape.

Much of the musical language of The Cherry Snows grows directly from the imagery and movement of the poem. Its even, flowing lines suggested the steady descent of falling snow, reflected musically through overlapping vocal entrances, smooth melodic writing, and moments of text painting. Individual voices emerge and disappear within the texture as the ensemble gradually builds upon itself, much like individual snowflakes becoming part of a larger landscape.

Throughout the piece, the four voices continually shift between independence and unity. Lines briefly rise to the surface before settling back into the surrounding harmony, creating a sense of gentle motion even during the work’s quieter moments.

At its heart, The Cherry Snows is an attempt to capture the stillness found in the poem: the kind of quiet that does not feel empty, but instead invites us to notice the beauty, movement, and emotion contained within a seemingly simple moment.

Performance Notes

Difficulty & Ensemble Considerations
The Cherry Snows is written at approximately a Grade 4 level for SATB a cappella choir. The primary challenges lie in maintaining secure intonation and independent vocal lines without instrumental support, while sustaining balance, blend, and clarity of text throughout the ensemble. The overlapping entrances and flowing melodic writing require confident part independence and careful attention to tuning as harmonies build between voices. Conductors should encourage a light, connected approach that preserves the gentle character of the text while maintaining forward motion through the interweaving lines.

Musical Character
The repeated and overlapping treatment of the text should create the impression of gently falling snow, with individual lines emerging and receding within the larger texture. Care should be taken to maintain an even flow between entrances rather than allowing each new phrase to feel overly accented. Dynamic shaping and vowel consistency across sections can help preserve the transparent, floating quality of the work.

Text

The Cherry‐Snows

The cherry-snows are falling now;
Down from the blossom-clouded sky
Of zephyr-troubled twig and bough,
In widely settling whirls they fly.
The orchard earth, unclothed and brown,
Is wintry-hued with petals white:
Even as the snow they glimmer down:
Brief as the snow’s their stainless white.

-Clark Ashton Smith-
(1893-1961)