John Keats' famous poem "To Fall" embraces the autumn season with sensuous grace. Each of the three stanzas emphasizes something different. The first verse, mostly through visual imagery, extols the glory of fall. The second verse expresses a sense of loss after seeing such beauty. And the last verse looks forward to springtime renewal. The music of autumn is melancholy and lyrical. It includes songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gabriel Fauré, and Jules Massenet. These compositions sound perfect for late-summer or early-autumn evenings when the leaves are beginning to change color and the air is filled with the smell of burning wood fires. Autumn also marks the end of the summer concert season. Many musicians will not play music during this time because it's too hot to be outside performing. But once the temperatures start to drop in late autumn, they can't get enough of it. They'll play any number of events from chamber concerts to full-scale symphony orchestras. Finally, autumn is the time to look back on a beautiful summer season. With great sadness we say goodbye to friends who have moved away, hired help who will not stay with our family anymore, and pets who cannot travel with us. But there is much happiness, too. Our children are getting older and need us more than ever before.