T'was the first day of the springtime,
And the snowman stood alone
As the winter snows were melting,
And the pine trees seemed to groan,
Ah, you poor sad smiling snowman,
You'll be melting by and by."
Said the snowman, "What a pity,
For I'd like to see July.
Yes, I'd like to see July, and please don't ask me why.
But I'd like to, yes I'd like to, oh I'd like to see July.

Chirped a robin, just arriving,
"Seasons come and seasons go,
And the greatest ice must crumble
When it's flowers' time to grow.
And as one thing is beginning
So another thing must die,
And there's never been a snowman
Who has ever seen July.
No, they never see July, no matter how they try.
No, they never ever, never ever, never see July.

But the snowman sniffed his carrot nose
And said, "At least I'll try."
And he bravely smiled his frosty smile
And blinked his coal-black eye.
And there he stood and faced the sun
A blazin' from the sky –
And I really cannot tell you
If he ever saw July.
Did he ever see July? You can guess as well as I
If he ever, if he never, if he ever saw July.
-Shel Silverstein

Another rush job, even with the deadline extension: we are such busy people! Truth be told, if not for Barieuph generously extending the deadline, I might have had to withdraw from the contest, thanks to a reserve military training call-up earlier in December.

Scored for strings, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn plus a supporting battery of celesta, vibraphone, piano and harp, all four of which have similar yet different timbres. See if you can tell which is which!

The remix is divided into three broad sections which correspond to the paragraphs in the poem:

The first section opens with the Rydia theme in the solo oboe, describing the landscape of the early spring. The tinkling sounds of the celesta somewhat represent the snowman.

The second section (1'46") introduces Cecil and Rosa's love theme for the first time in the solo flute, representing the robin. This whole section is much darker and more melancholic as the bird prophecies that the snowman will not live to see July. The melodies of this whole section are led by the flute.

The third section (3'24") sees the snowman deliberating, and finally deciding to confront the sun. (Listen out for an Easter Egg somewhere in this section - an allusion to a theme which appears in more than one Final Fantasy game.) The ending of the piece leaves no doubt as to whether our brave snowman ever, if he never, if he ever saw July.

Written using Sibelius 4. Rendered using Audacity. Special thanks to Natalie again for her advice in choosing poems AND her constant moral support and encouragement when I was feeling down or down with writer's block.