A Musical Flower Clock for Summer

[VIDEO LINK DEAD] French composer Jean Francaix wrote what may be his best known piece, L'horloge de flore (A Musical Flower Clock), in 1959. It's a work for oboe and orchestra in seven short movements named for the flowers in the Flower Clock of the great Swedish botanist Carl von Linne (1707-1778), known as Linnaeus, the founding father of the botanical classification system still in use today. He gave the name Horloge de flore to a series of flowers classified according to the hour at which each one blooms. They start early and stay out late: 3am, Galant de jour (poisonberry) 5am, Cupidone blue (blue catananche, native to southern France) 10am, Cierge a grandes fleurs (torch thistle) 12 noon, Nyctanthe de Malabar (Malabar jasmine) 5pm, Belle-de-nuit (belladonna, or deadly nightshade) 7pm, Geranium triste (mourning geranium) 9pm, Silene noctiflore (night-flowering catchfly). This short seven-section oboe concerto inspired by horticultural chronology is a neoclassical delight with each section representing one of the flowers mentioned. With subtle shades and brilliant colors, it is a perfect example of this composer's lightness and wit, qualities for which Jean Francaix was known and appreciated. Just as one can appreciate the flowers on a beautiful summer day while out for a stroll or in the backyard garden, I hope you can enjoy this music, no matter what time it may be, and what flower may be in bloom: [youtube 490 344] --John Rittmeyer