Joan Trimble facts for kids

Joan Trimble (born June 18, 1915 – died August 6, 2000) was a talented Irish composer and pianist. She was known for her beautiful music and for performing with her sister.

A Life in Music

Early Life and Learning

Joan was born in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Ireland. She started learning piano at a young age. She studied piano with Annie Lord in Dublin at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Later, she studied music at Trinity College Dublin. She continued her studies in London at the Royal College of Music (RCM) until 1940. There, she learned piano from Arthur Benjamin and composition from Herbert Howells and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Performing Duo

Joan first became well-known as part of a piano duo with her sister, Valerie (1917–1980). They won a top prize at a music competition in Belfast when Joan was just ten years old. Joan also wrote several pieces for two pianos, which she and Valerie performed. A concert at the RCM in 1938, where they played three of these pieces, was a big success for them.

Other composers also wrote music for the sisters. One famous piece was Jamaican Rumba by Arthur Benjamin. This song became a special tune for the duo. Joan's own piece, Phantasy Trio (1940), won an award for chamber music. The sisters also played modern music by composers like Stravinsky and Arthur Bliss. They continued to perform in public until 1970.

Composing and Teaching

Joan got married in 1942 and had children. This meant she composed less music for a while. In 1957, her opera Blind Raftery was a special achievement. It was the third opera the BBC asked for to be shown on television. It was also the first television opera written by a female composer. From 1959 to 1977, Joan taught piano at the RCM. For some of those years, she traveled from Northern Ireland to teach.

Her Musical Style

Joan Trimble's music had a unique sound. She blended the gentle, flowing harmonies she learned from Annie Lord with melodies and rhythms from traditional Irish music. Her arrangements of Irish tunes for two pianos sounded very similar to her own original works. Some of her most interesting music can be found in her Sonatina for two pianos (1940) and her impressive song cycle The County Mayo (1949). Joan's music is always melodic and enjoyable for those who perform it.

Later Years

After her father passed away in 1967, Joan began working at his newspaper, The Impartial Reporter, in Enniskillen. She also cared for her husband. In the 1990s, her music gained new attention. She was asked to write a new piece, and her music was recorded for the first time. Joan Trimble passed away in Enniskillen in 2000, just two weeks after her husband.

Her Lasting Impact

On June 18, 2015, a special concert was held in Enniskillen. It was called "A Celebration Concert" and was part of the Joan Trimble Centenary Celebration. This event honored her 100th birthday and her contributions to music.

Her Compositions

Here is a list of some of Joan Trimble's musical works.

Recordings

Many of Joan Trimble's works have been recorded and are available on CDs. These recordings allow new audiences to enjoy her unique compositions. Some notable recordings include:

• Celtic Keyboards: Duets by Irish Composers (1994), featuring her two-piano works.
• Silver Apples of the Moon – Irish Classical Music (1997), which includes her Suite for Strings.
• Joan Trimble: Two Pianos – Songs and Chamber Music (1999), a wider collection of her pieces.
• Her Phantasy Trio was featured on an RTÉ lyric fm CD in 2016.
• The Pool Among the Rushes was recorded in 2018.
• Her songs Green Rain, Girl's Song, and My Grief on the Sea were included on a Delphian Records CD in 2018.