Composers Having Hot Fun in the Summertime

Before we get started, in case you need a soundtrack...

Maybe you can throw a lawn party Leonard Bernstein would approve of, complete with a game of croquet . . .

. . . or go to a carnival with a pal, like Paul Hindemith and Darius Milhaud!

Benjamin Britten knows that summer is time for silly pictures . . .

. . . but if you're Dmitri Shostakovich, you'd much prefer a hand of cards with the fam.

Summer means flying that kite you haven’t touched in years, like Claude Debussy . . .

. . . enjoying a relaxing day at the lake, like Elliot Carter . . .

. . . playing more cards, like Johann Strauss II and friends . . .

. . . or just straight chillin’, Antonín Dvořák-style.

Doting dad Arnold Schoenberg knows summer’s the best time for fun with the family . . .

. . . and, to Aaron Copland, it's a no-brainer that it’s the best season for ice cream!

Of course, there’s plenty to do at the beach. Surely, Philip Glass is looking for Einstein with a lady friend . . .

. . . and the sentimental Giacomo Puccini is listening to sea sirens as he goes on a beachside stroll.

Plus, you can play beach volleyball, like Ástor Piazzolla . . .

. . . take a dip à la Fritz Kreisler . . .

. . . or pull a George Gershwin and soak up some rays!

If you're like Francis Poulenc, you've been waiting all year to rock your spiffy summer threads.

And to Béla Bartók, that means it's time to break out the sandals – as well as whatever you’ve been meaning to read, but haven’t yet.

For the more industrious among us -- we're looking at you, Sergei Rachmaninoff -- summer means a chance to catch up on yardwork . . .

. . . and for the adventurous, an excuse to break out a new set of wheels! (Arvo Pärt clearly didn't need to be asked twice.)

Are you due for a trip to Hawaii? Pierre Boulez was. Maybe it's time to start looking at flights!

And remember: Don’t be afraid to be like Giuseppe Verdi and take time for yourself once in a while . . .

. . .and most of all, try new things -- whatever Igor Stravinsky's doing seems like a good start!