Classical Music Stories: Robert Frost

Classical Music Stories is a series where music is listened to as though it were the soundtrack to one of your favorite books (or in this case, poems).

The following music/story pairing is based on Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”:

Part One: The speaker begins his journey. While he enjoys the journey itself, he also experiences inner struggles with loneliness and solitude. But as he and his horse go through the woods, he daydreams a bit.

At the end of the movement there is some vacillation between more frantic, faster music and lighter music as he really struggles with the darkness within himself.

Part Two: Now he is in the woods mentioned in the poem, stopping in their silent, lonely depths. The beauty of the snow gives him hope and soothes his soul. He will persevere!

After a pause, the beginning of the music returns as the man returns to a simple enjoyment of nature’s beauty. But though his determination reappears, it is less certain this time…

Part Three: As he leaves the woods, the snow continues to fall all around him to form a winter wonderland. He sees children playing everywhere in the streets. His loneliness wants to take over at one point, but now the children’s innocence gives him a new hope that this time cannot be shaken.

I love both this music and the poem! I felt like the two fit together well. Which part of the story and/or music is your favorite?

Check out other Classical Music Stories on books like Peter Pan, Harry Potter, and Pride and Prejudice here!

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