Suite Bimshire
Trevor Weston
About this work:
Bimshire is an old name for the Island of Barbados where many members of my family originated. The piece consists of five movements for piano quintet based on two folksongs from Barbados. The even numbered movements have direct quotations from the Bajan (Barbadian) folksongs, Speightstown People (Speightstown is the city where my mother was born), and King Ja Ja (an archetypical Bajan folksong). The odd movements are influenced by the rhythmic and melodic motives of these songs. Trident Memories refers to the Trident in the Barbados Flag, Cane Cutter’s Lamentation pays homage to the Africans brought to the Island to cut sugar cane, and Kadooment is the name for the last concert/party during Barbados’s version of Carnival called Crop Over in late July and early August.
Year composed: 2000
Duration: 00:15:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Piano Quartet or Quintet
Instrumentation: 1 Piano, 2 Violin, 1 Viola, 1 Cello