a declarative sentence whose message is that we must try harder

Viola, Cello, Contrabass
Approx. 9 minutes
2011

This trio was inspired by the poem “I will learn how to love a person and then I will teach you and then we will know” by Tao Lin and published in his 2008 book Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. This is not so much a setting of the text, as a … reaction … to it.

"...i am afraid
that i am not learning fast enough; i can feel the universe expanding
and it feels like no one has ever tried hard enough..."

Score Sample

This piece is in revisions and awaiting final engraving work. Please contact me to discuss potential performances, and to see a perusal score.

If the instrumentation of this score isn’t quite what you are looking for, let’s discuss the creation of a new version that will meet your needs. You may be surprised at how easy this is to do. Contact me at jason@jasonbarabba.com.