Classical Music for Summer: A Selection of Cool and Refreshing Masterpieces
What scenes come to mind when you think of summer?
A sparkling blue sea, dazzling white sands under the blazing sun, mountains dressed in vivid green…
Even in sticky, sweltering heat, doesn’t picturing a refreshing landscape make the heat feel just a little more bearable?
In this article, we’ll introduce classic works that are perfect for summer and will help expand those images even further.
Let’s spend this summer feeling refreshed, accompanied by exquisite classical music that creates a cool, breezy atmosphere.
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Classical Music for Summer: A Selection of Cool and Refreshing Masterpieces (21–30)
Suite ‘Cinderella’ — Spirit of SummerSergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev, often hailed as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, is a modern-era musician well known to anyone who regularly listens to classical music.
Among his works, one that’s perfect for summer is the piece “Cinderella Suite: The Summer Fairy.” Reflecting its time, the work features several jazz-like melodies and maintains a fantastical atmosphere throughout.
Be sure to check it out.
The Carnival of the Animals, No. 7: AquariumCamille Saint-Saëns
The seventh movement of The Carnival of the Animals by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns is a piece that beautifully evokes the fantastical world of an aquarium.
The shimmer of high-register piano and glass harmonica, the pure tone of the flute, and the restrained resonance of the strings combine to depict a mysterious underwater landscape.
Its gentle tempo, flowing arpeggios, and glissandi are distinctive, exquisitely conveying the sensation of drifting through water.
Owing to its dreamlike quality, this piece has been featured widely across various media, and it is even said to have inspired certain scenes in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
Enjoy this cool, refreshing piece that will help you forget the summer heat!
SummerFrank Bridge
Frank Bridge was a composer who gained popularity for his distinctive musicality inspired by folk songs.
Although he did not receive much attention during his lifetime, he began to be reappraised in the 1970s.
Among Bridge’s works, the one especially recommended for summer is Summer.
The piece shifts from a melody that evokes a peaceful pastoral landscape to a refreshing tone that feels like dashing through a forest.
If you want to feel coolness through music, be sure to give it a listen.
Fountain of Villa d’EsteFranz Liszt
Classical music includes many works themed around “water,” with plenty of pieces that bring a refreshing feeling in the height of summer.
The Fountain of the Villa d’Este is a piece included in the third year of Années de pèlerinage, a piano solo collection by Franz Liszt, one of the leading composer-pianists of the 19th century.
It holds an important place as a water-inspired classical work said to have influenced pieces such as Claude Debussy’s Reflections in the Water and Maurice Ravel’s Reflections in the Water.
Its delicate, beautiful arpeggios evoke the spray of a fountain, bringing to mind an image of cooling waters on a summer’s day.
Close your eyes as you listen to this piece, and imagine the beautiful fountain gardens of Italy.
Dances of GalántaKodály Zoltán
It was commissioned to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Budapest Philharmonic Society and was completed in the summer of 1933.
The folk music of the Galánta region, where the Hungarian composer Kodály spent his childhood, is used as the subject matter.
Polka: “Thunderclap and Lightning”Johann Strauss II
Composed in 1868 for an artists’ association, it appears to have been initially conceived under the title “Shooting Star.” It is a work that prominently features percussion: the tremolo of the bass drum, evoking distant thunder, swells and subsides with crescendos and decrescendos, and in the middle section lightning and thunder are represented by cymbals, making it a very lively piece.
Video, Volume 1, Track 1: ‘Reflections in the Water’Claude Debussy
The first piece of Images, Book I for piano by Claude Debussy, a leading composer of French Impressionism, is a work that expresses the light and scenery reflected on the water’s surface through music.
It depicts the sparkle of a calm lake and the spreading of ripples with delicate touch and complex harmonic structures.
Published in 1905, this piece clearly showcases Debussy’s distinctive sense of harmony and treatment of rhythm, making it a quintessential example of Impressionist music.
True to Debussy, who often drew inspiration from nature, it is said that his walks through the landscapes of the Paris suburbs are reflected in this work.
A cool, refreshing piece that makes you forget the summer heat.
It’s also recommended for those who want to explore new piano timbres.
Three Concert Études, S.144/R.5: No. 3 “Un Sospiro”Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt’s work captivates with its flowing, mellifluous melody.
Widely beloved as a masterpiece for piano, this piece was composed between 1845 and 1849.
Written around the time Liszt became a court music director, it features an emotionally rich melodic line that reflects Chopin’s influence.
Though it demands advanced technique to carry the melody seamlessly between both hands, its beauty is sure to soothe the listener’s heart.
With a cool, refreshing resonance that makes you forget the summer heat, this piece is recommended for those who wish to relax and listen on a quiet night.
Midsummer NocturneAaron Copland
Aaron Copland is one of the composers who epitomize 20th-century America.
Born in 1900, he studied under the renowned composer Rubin Goldmark at the age of sixteen.
His summer-themed classical piece, Midsummer Nocturne—known in Japanese as “Manatsu no Yasōkyoku”—is a gently crafted piano work that evokes the atmosphere of a summer night.
It’s a must-listen for those who love enchanting, dreamlike melodies.
Be sure to check it out.
Variations on ‘The Last Rose of Summer’Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst
In the 19th century, many musicians arranged “The Last Rose of Summer,” giving rise to numerous musical works.
The title itself, “The Last Rose of Summer,” is lovely, isn’t it? The set of variations on “The Last Rose of Summer” I’m introducing is by Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst, an Austrian violinist and composer.
It’s a piece that lets you savor the violin’s delicate, intricate timbres—a beautiful work that feels fresh and pleasant even on a hot summer day, making it a perfect recommendation when you want to refresh yourself.
