From Ives 1899 song 'Night of Frost in May' in a fine arrangement for alto flute and piano by James Boatman. The tempo marking is Andante con moto.

The First Day of Summer
There are 2 systems for determining the first day of Summer: the 'Astronomical' and the 'Meteorological'. The Astronomical system derives from the Earth's axis and orbit around the Sun. The Meteorological system splits the seasons into 4 periods of 3 months each to coincide with the Gregorian Calendar. Meteorological Summer starts on 1 June.
In 2020, the summer solstice falls on Saturday 20 June, its most common position, although it can be any date between the 20 and 22 of the month. The astronomical summer then lasts until the autumnal equinox, which this year lands on Tuesday 22 September
So Saturday, June 20, marks the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, occurring when the Earth arrives at the point in its orbit where the North Pole is at its maximum tilt (about 23.5 degrees) towards the Sun.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the June solstice (aka Summer solstice) occurs when the Sun reaches its highest and northernmost points in the sky. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the opposite: the June solstice marks the start of winter, when the Sun is at its lowest point in the sky.)
Summer Solstice Dates and Times: Year Summer Solstice (Northern Hemisphere) 2020 Saturday, June 20 at 5:44 P.M. EDT 2021 Sunday, June 20 at 11:32 P.M. EDT 2022 Tuesday, June 21 at 5:14 A.M. EDT 2023 Wednesday, June 21 at 10:58 A.M. EDT
As mentioned, in the Southern Hemisphere, the June solstice marks the beginning of winter. Note: In the Summer EDT is 4 hours behind GMT.
An annular solar eclipse will occur on the weekend of the solstice; Annular eclipses are very similar to total solar eclipses, but instead of covering the Sun completely, the Moon only covers most of the Sun, leaving a thin, shining ring—called an “annulus” or “ring of fire”—around the Moon’s dark shape. This eclipse can be viewed from parts of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.
After the solstice, the Sun appears to reverse course and head back in the opposite direction. The motion referred to here is the apparent path of the Sun when one views its position in the sky at the same time each day, for example at local noon. Over the year, its path forms a sort of flattened figure eight, called an analemma. Of course, the Sun itself is not moving (unless you consider its own orbit around the Milky Way galaxy); instead, this change in position in the sky that we on Earth notice is caused by the tilt of Earth’s axis as it orbits the Sun, as well as Earth’s elliptical, rather than circular, orbit.
The Summer Solstice is the day with the longest period of sunlight and the Sun appears highest in the sky at the solstice; its rays strike Earth at a more direct angle, causing the efficient warming we call Summer. Because the Sun is highest in the sky on this day, one's shadow is the shortest that it will be all year.
Again, for those who live in the Southern Hemisphere, this is the shortest day of the year and marks the arrival of winter.
(Source: 'The Old Farmer's Almanac')
20 June 2020

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