Christopher Simpson: months of the year and seasons

English composer and gambist, best known for his treatises on the viol and his chamber music. The Seasons and the Months is an emblematic work of his style, illustrating his mastery of counterpoint and ornamentation.

Published in 1665, this set of pieces for viol and continuo follows the model of Baroque instrumental suites, organized in contrasting movements evoking the seasons and months of the year. Each piece explores a variety of affects, musically translating the moods and characteristics of each period of the year. Far from being a mere climatic description, The Seasons and the Months is a poetic meditation on the passage of time, where the harmonic richness and melodic fluidity reveal all the refinement of Simpson’s writing.