Autumnal Sprites is a musical narrative developed from two poems, 11. Autumnal Sprites and 26. Snow White from my own collection, 63 Poems of the Pacific Northwest. The music is structured like a short ballet scene. fusing the poems into a fantastical story of Fall spirits.

As autumn arrives, the "Mistresses of Fall" drift quietly through the landscape, their chilly cloaks stirring the trees awake. A single brown leaf breaks free from its branch and tumbles joyfully toward the ground. Not yet ready for its dance to end, the leaf wishes so deeply to keep spinning that it becomes a fairy.

The tiny fairy first learns to walk, scraping across the concrete before it discovers the freedom of flight. Inspired by its delight, countless other leaves leap into the wind until the landscape is transformed into a swirling celebration of autumn. What begins as innocent wonder soon grows into an untamed whirlwind, and the Mistresses of Fall return to calm the enchanted leaves and put them to rest at the base of their trees.

After gently scolding the fairy for its game, the Mistresses offer it one final gift in admiration of his lively spirit. They lift it high into the autumn sky and release it to dance one last time, spinning wildly through the crisp air before gently returning to its bed under the trees to sleep until it is time to dance again.