The Holocene Extinction I

Tyler Zwink

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Quartet

2024

8 min.

Alto Flute

Bass Flute

Flute

Piccolo Clarinet

More Details

Program Notes: “There have been five mass extinction events in scientific history, but scientists now claim that we are in the living through the sixth mass extinction, as thousands of plants and animals have gone suddenly extinct as a result of human action. They call this the Holocene Extinction.” Movement I: A Lesson Not Learned In the 1930’s, unsustainable farming practices in Oklahoma ripped much of the nutrients from the crop soil. Without roots to hold the dry soil in place, the plains winds kicked up enormous lethal dust storms that made parts of Oklahoma nearly uninhabitable. Without crops these farmers had no income, and could not pay the mortgages on their farms and homes. Following the Stock Market Crash of 1929, banks would foreclose these farmhouses, leaving farmers homeless and emigrating to the Western United States, where they faced great hostility as immigrants. While these unsustainable practices were disastrous for Oklahoma, we still continue to invest in other unsustainable practices that damage the environment and alter the climate. The lesson of “The Dust Bowl” was not truly learned. Movement II: A World that Bites Back This movement depicts a cold, unfeeling wasteland. In my mind, this is the music that details a post-apocalyptic world in which climate change makes this world uninhabitable for humans all over. While the Earth will eventually regrow and heal, it will not be before it bites us back.
Ensemble Name: Performance by Emily Barnett, Tamsin Baird, Phoebe Jones, and Lalleh Memar as part of the 2024 Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Flute Mondays at One.