Bacchi Calender: I januari månad

Bellman’s Bacchi Calender presents a jovial, if somewhat cautionary, account of a year’s spending and revelry. The SATB setting captures the spirit of the Swedish text, which humorously describes the narrator's progressive impoverishment through extravagant purchases and an unending thirst for wine. From new garments in January to a satin night-robe in March, each month brings further extravagance until, by July and August, the narrator finds himself stripped of all possessions and, presumably, clothed in little more than intoxication. The text vividly paints a picture of life lived for the moment, fueled by good cheer and the pursuit of pleasure, all leading to a rather undignified, yet merry, end.