Nature in Music

Music has always been influenced by nature. Through the evocation of birds and animals, the illustration
of rain and thunder or the sound of the waves, nature seems to be an infinite source of inspiration for
composers.
Even before the Middle Ages, the environment in which a person resided has had a profound effect on
their creative output. As a result, composers have often sought to recreate their landscape through their
compositions.

Instruments that Evoke Nature

However, the limitations of musical instruments forced composers to find creative ways of evoking such
landscapes: flutes often became birds, harp reminded of the flowing streams and gentle breezes of the
natural world, horns might represent the rising and setting of the sun, and piano recreated the vastness of
landscapes.
Flute
imitates birdsong and capture the delicate nuances of nature's melodies.
Harp
reminds of the flowing streams and gentle breezes of the natural world.
Piano
capable of recreating the vastness of landscapes and the subtleties of nature.
Horns
might represent the rising and setting of the sun

Nature in Specific Music Works

Antonio Vivaldi
Four Seasons is an ensemble of concerti for violin and orchestra, composed around 1721, and very often
considered as the pinnacle of descriptive music, and a revolution in musical conception.
The evocative music takes turns with each season in describing singing birds, storms, hunting parties or
frozen landscapes, through innovative strings writing and orchestral arrangements.
Beethoven
From its starting point, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 — also known as the Pastoral
Symphony — recalls nature and its attributes. Composed in 1808, it contains five movements each
associated with a programmatic title, such as “Scene by the brook” or “Thunder, Storm”.
Beethoven depicts rural landscapes and sensations, and has clear references to nature’s qualities such as
bird calls, or thunderstorm and rain. He makes extensive use of rhythmic cells to convey the repetition of
patterns in nature, as well as an altered version of the usual sonata rondo form for scherzi to describe rural
dances and atmospheres.
Liszt: Années de pèlerinage
As the Romantic era reached its 19th-century pinnacle, a parallel musical genre developed – the idea of a
storm of the mind, an ‘altered state’ induced by a mood of brooding sensibility. Liszt’s music now began
to show that you didn’t need an orchestra to convey the full grandeur of nature’s power. ‘Orage’ (Storm)
is the central piece in the first volume of his piano cycle Années de pèlerinage (Years of Pilgrimage), set
in mountains and foothills of Switzerland. This is a Byronic, literary-style storm, a psychological raging
that relishes its own fury in cascades of double octaves and torrential passagework.

Nature in art
Nature can be a simple add on to a painting to convey a sense of depth, or perspective. However, it can
also be the main focus of a work of art. Just like nature can be recreated through art, it can also be used as
a stand in for greater thought.
Nature has always been a great inspiration to artists - from cave drawings of animals, to contemporary
artists working today. Artists have depicted nature as a setting to express their inner feelings, forever
changing the face of art. As famed impressionist artist Paul Cezanne stated,
“Painting from nature is not copying the object; it is realizing one’s sensations. Treat nature in terms of
the cylinder, the sphere, the cone, everything in proper perspective.”

Representations of Nature in Art

Landscape Paintings
Artists have long been captivated by the beauty of landscapes, from serene countryside scenes to
breathtaking mountain vistas.
Still Life with Natural Elements
Still life compositions often incorporate natural elements like flowers, fruits, and shells, providing a
glimpse into the beauty of nature.
Animals in Art
From wildlife portraits to symbolic representations, animals have been a popular subject in art, portraying
their grace, strength, and symbolism.

Nature in Specific Art Works

The famous nature paintings which follow bellow showcase the mastery of artistic achievements and are
considered as some of the most popular paintings of nature.
The Oxbow (1836), Thomas Cole
Thomas Cole founded the Hudson River School, one of the most formative groups in American painting.
It’s members worshipped the naturally abundant beauty of the Hudson Valley. And one of the best of
these is The Oxbow.
It shows the Connecticut River Valley as a storm rolls off into the distance. The titular bend in the river,
the foreground that frames the scene, and the drama of the rain all combine to create a masterpiece.
Wanderer above the Sea of Fog (1818), Caspar David Friedrich
Caspar David Friedrich was one of the greatest of the German Romantics. His landscapes can celebrate
nature, and just as often, they evoke a spookiness that still sends shivers down our spines.

But this piece does something else. It stirs us, calls us to action. The wanderer stands in the center of the
canvas, his back to us, looking down into the mists that roam the mountains. It’s a stunning natural image
and one of the greatest in art.
Its power remains more than 200 years after it was painted, and the mark it left on our visual culture
cannot be overstated. To this day, the painting appears on numerous album and book covers.
Spiral Jetty (1970), Robert Smithson
Not satisfied with just being inspired by nature, the imminent sculptor Robert Smithson chose to
collaborate with it for this legendary piece. Made out of basalt rocks, salt crystals, and mud, the enormous
feature pushes out into the Great Salt Lake.
The space has a haunting aura about it, like a monument from some civilization long past. It’s become a
pilgrimage for art lovers for that special quality: you have to see it in person to really get it.
Water Lilies (1898), Claude Monet
Claude Monet’s Water Lilies series includes several pieces worthy of a spot on this list. But since there
are over 250 of them, let’s pick one. But the entire series is worth looking through.
These paintings examine Monet’s garden, a place of refuge and inspiration for the artist. By focusing on
the water lilies, Monet focuses on the fine details available to all of us willing to take a closer look.
Red Canna (1919), Georgia O’Keeffe
Georgia O’Keeffe’s early painting Red Canna reveals all of the features that would go on to define the
master’s oeuvre. But it also retains that youthful flair that makes it such an exciting work.
At first it seems simple, but once you begin to examine the bold color choices, the strength of the work
reveals itself.
There are multiple pairs of complementary colors, and a striking mixture of diagonal lines and the vertical
jut of the flower itself.
As she often did, O’Keeffe explores the similarity between the shapes of plants and the human body. This
brings an eerie quality to the painting, making a flower all too familiar with ourselves.
Conclusion
Nature has always been a source of inspiration for many artists. Thanks to nature, we have many great
works of art.