April — variations on a theme: a new playlist for early spring

April reveals itself gradually—light stretching, ground softening, buds beginning to form, the scent of earth returning. New life is emerging.

At 2 Note, emergence is central to how we work. 

Our botanical fragrances are composed much like music—built from individual notes that unfold over time. In natural perfumery, nothing is fixed; each material shifts with warmth, air, and skin. The same approach guides our plant-based skincare, where ingredients are chosen not only for their function, but for how they interact and evolve.

Variations on a theme —

This month’s playlist is a sampling of compositions that orbit a central idea, exploring subtle variations, expanding outward, then returning. We sought out music that feels both open and grounded—pieces that unfold with new ideas, yet circle back to a clear foundation. Much of the playlist draws from late Renaissance and Baroque traditions, where theme and variation were central to musical composition.

In the garden —

This time of year, the process begins with mapping out the beds. Notes are made, and decisions start to take shape — what worked last year, what didn’t, and what to grow next. The work builds from what’s already there, while shaping what comes next. The structure remains, but each season moves it in a different direction. Our lavender is emerging - tiny green fragrant shoots offer a prelude to the abundance of the coming season.

In the studio —

Ginger, bergamot, black pepper, geranium, vetiver, sandalwood, clary sage, cedar, rose, pink grapefruit and bitter orange… these are just some of the essences that may be wafting through the studio air as we tinker and explore, building from an idea or inspiration, tunes playing in the background - our constant muse.

Whether we’re working on a formulation or composing a piece of music, the process begins with a theme. From there, it’s a matter of refining, reshaping and expanding as ideas take form. 

April’s playlist – a collection of pieces that explore theme and variation – reflects our way of working.

You can hear this clearly in Diverse bizzarrie by Nicola Matteis, published in London in the late 1600s. Matteis was known for bringing a more expressive, Italian style of playing to England. The piece is built on a repeating bass line, while the surface is constantly changing — ornamented, stretched, and rephrased. Two versions are included in April’s playlist (an absolute favorite of ours): one more orchestral and expansive, and one by Amandine Beyer — more intimate and tactile. Both carry a sense of forward motion that builds from within. This feels like April.

A similar sense of renewal comes through in Max Richter’s reworking of Antonio Vivaldi’s Spring from The Four Seasons. Rather than presenting the piece as it’s traditionally known, Richter pares it back and rebuilds it — looping, layering, and reframing familiar passages so they feel newly energized. The original structure remains, but the emphasis shifts. What emerges is something both recognizable and reimagined — an older idea carried forward with a different sensibility.

Lately, Diverse bizzarrie and Spring have been echoing the surge of bird activity just outside the studio — flying to and fro, gathering nesting materials, working from instinct and memory as they build their own variations on a theme.