Sheet Music: Score
The year without a summer : for piano trio / Stuart Greenbaum
by Stuart Greenbaum (2009)
The eruption in 1815 of Mt. Tambora on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa was over four times as big as the eruption of Krakatoa later that century but perhaps not as well known. The ash and dust thrown up into the earth's upper atmosphere further resulted in 'the year without a summer' in 1816. This was by all accounts a devastating ecological event that caused unseasonal cold temperatures and widespread famine.
The first movement of this trio is short and fast. It imagines a dark cloud of dust approaching from the distance, not knowing where it came from. Did it seem a premonition? How long did they think it would last? The longer second movement shifts forward to 1816 and contemplates the upheaval of people's lives - of having their world turned upside down in one way or another and having to regroup and adjust to new circumstances.
Published by: Australian Music Centre — 1 facsimile score (40p. -- A4 (portrait))
Duration: 15 mins
I: 1815 – And then the sky was filled with ash -- II: 1816 – The year without a summer.
First performance by NZTrio — 18 Apr 10. Waikato University, Hamilton, NZ
Includes programme note and performance directions.
Composer's no.: GRT 148.
This edition produced 2010.
This work is also available in the following products:
- Browse other works for Piano Trios
- Browse other works by Stuart Greenbaum
Analysis & Media
- Resonate Article: Trans-Tasman Blog # 2
- PDF: Analytical notes: Stuart Greenbaum's The year without a summer
notes by the composer
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