| Until
twenty years ago, hymns set down for use at
certain times of the church calendar tended to
reflect the Northern Hemisphere's seasons. New
Zealand hymn-writers have since written lyrics to
reflect our experience of Christmastide during
the heat and relaxation of the long summer
holidays. This hymn
emphasizes the cyclical change within the church
year, which tends to be overlooked in
contemporary hymns. The seasons within the
liturgical calendar are themselves sources of
endless variety, novelty, and contrast. Each
verse of Song of the Seasons uses a
highlight from each of the four main seasons:
Advent and Christmastide (vs.1), the Epiphany and
Lent (vs.2), Lent and Holy Week (vs.3), and
Easter, which culminates in the coming of the
Holy Spirit at Pentecost (v.4). 'The Sundays
after Pentecost' are the season, which brings the
annual cycle to a close. The earthiness of birth
and the animals around the Christ-child is evoked
by 'the muck and hay', in contrast to unreality
which frequently surrounds Christmas. Gossip, a
word which comes from 'gospel', is reclaimed as
something potentially good. The cost and joy of
following Christ are brought home in the last two
verses.
The
idea for Song of the Seasons came to me as
I walked across Cathedral Square in the heart of
Christchurch. On this early spring evening, light
filtered through the new leaves on the plane
trees and danced across the Cathedral's stone
walls. The bellringers were practising, with some
difficulty. No matter how hard they tried, the
notes flew apart each time. You can hear the
sound of the upward runs in bars 2 & 6 and a
downward run in bar 4. Dotted rhythms and
syncopated passages energize the hymn.
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