Tuesday 1 January 2019
from Flute Sonata No. 1 in G major
This Largo is the fourth movement of the first sonata from Sonates pour la flûte traversière avec la basse, Op. 19 by the prolific French Baroque composer Joseph Bodin de Boismortier. These sonatas were originally published in Paris in 1727.
Wednesday 2 January 2019
for two flutes
This air is the fourth movement of the first of six Concerts à deux Flutes Traversières sans Basse by the French Baroque composer Michel Pignolet de Montéclair. Here the French word concert is a synonym of “suite”, and has nothing to do with the Italian concerto.
Thursday 3 January 2019
from “40 Esercizi per Flauto”
Today's piece is the thirty-fourth study from 40 Esercizi per Flauto (40 Exercises for Flute), Op. 101, by Italian flutist, composer and arranger Luigi Hugues.
Friday 4 January 2019
Traditional Irish reel
This Irish reel appears in Chicago police officer Francis O'Neill's collection Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody, published in 1922.
Saturday 5 January 2019
by Tielman susato, arranged for three flutes and bass instrument
This piece is taken from Danserye, a collection of dance music by Tielman Susato which was published in 1551 in Antwerp, in today's Belgium. This collection has always been a favorite for Renaissance ensembles, not because the music is intrinsically stunning, but rather because it is simple, suitable for all musical instruments, and easy to improvise on.
Morisque (from the Spanish morisco, “Moorish”) is a French term that was used to indicate former Muslims who converted to Christianity after Spain outlawed the open practice of Islam by its sizeable Muslim population in the early 16th century.
Thanks to Phil for suggesting this piece!
Sunday 6 January 2019
from “Nouvelle Méthode pour la flûte”
This short Adagio in F-sharp minor is taken from the Nouvelle Méthode théorique et pratique pour la flûte by French flutist and composer François Devienne, published in 1794.
Monday 7 January 2019
from “Melodic Exercises”
This is the last piece from 24 Etudes mélodiques, Op. 110 by German flutist and composer Caspar Kummer. This collection has also been published in English as 24 Melodic Exercises.
Tuesday 8 January 2019
Traditional tune, with guitar accompaniment
The only known appearance of this tune in print is in Harding's All-Round Collection of Jigs, Reels and Country Dances, published in New York in 1905. Despite its rarity, the piece is part of the dubiously titled section “A few of the old favorites, without which no collection is complete”.
Wednesday 9 January 2019
for solo flute
This capriccio is one of 24 pieces attributed to the famous German flutist and composer Johann Joachim Quantz to have survived in a manuscript titled Fantasier og Preludier. 8. Capricier og andre Stykker til Øvelse for Flöÿten af Quanz (“Fantasies and Preludes. 8 Caprices and other Pieces for Exercise for the Flute by Quantz”). This manuscript has been kept in the Giedde Collection (named after its founder, Danish composer W.H.R.R. Giedde) in the Royal Library of Copenhagen, which hosts a fairly comprehensive collection of flute music from the second half of the 18th century.
Thursday 10 January 2019
Traditional British song, arranged for two flutes
This traditional British song dates back to at least the late 17th century. One version was published in Thomas D'Urfey's Wit and Mirth, or Pills to Purge Melancholy; a very different one appeared in George Farquhar's 1706 play The Recruiting Officer. A version also appears in John Gay's The Beggar's Opera of 1728, under the title “Were I laid on Greenland's coast”.
The present arrangement for two flutes is taken from Blake's Young Flutist's Magazine, published in Philadelphia in 1833.
Friday 11 January 2019
from “40 Esercizi per Flauto”
Today's piece is the thirty-fifth study from 40 Esercizi per Flauto (40 Exercises for Flute), Op. 101, by Italian flutist, composer and arranger Luigi Hugues.
Saturday 12 January 2019
Traditional Irish reel
This reel is taken from Francis O'Neill's collection Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody, published in Chicago in 1922. O'Neill's source for this tune was fiddler Patrick Stack, originally from North Kerry, Ireland, whom he characterized as “a fiddler whose execution was no less admirable than his modesty.”
Sunday 13 January 2019
from Flute Sonata No. 1 in G major
This lively giga is the closing movement of the first sonata from Sonates pour la flûte traversière avec la basse, Op. 19 by the prolific French Baroque composer Joseph Bodin de Boismortier. These sonatas were originally published in Paris in 1727.
Monday 14 January 2019
for two flutes
These two badines constitute the fifth movement of the first of six Concerts à deux Flutes Traversières sans Basse by the French Baroque composer Michel Pignolet de Montéclair. Here the French word concert is a synonym of “suite”, and has nothing to do with the Italian concerto. The overall structure of the piece is ABBCCBA.
Tuesday 15 January 2019
from “20 Studi progressivi e dilettevoli”
This simple study in C major is the very first piece from 20 Studi progressivi e dilettevoli per il Flauto (“20 progressive and delightful studies for the flute”) by Italian flutist Camillo Romanino.
Wednesday 16 January 2019
Traditional American reel
The only known appearance of this reel in print is in Harding's All-Round Collection of Jigs, Reels and Country Dances, published in New York in 1905. The book calls it a “stop reel”, presumably because the B part has several halting syncopations in it. The tune may have served as the vehicle for a novelty or stage dance from around the turn of the 20th century.
We transposed the melody from G major to B-flat major to better fit the range of the flute.
Thursday 17 January 2019
for solo flute
This capriccio is one of 24 pieces attributed to the famous German flutist and composer Johann Joachim Quantz to have survived in a manuscript titled Fantasier og Preludier. 8. Capricier og andre Stykker til Øvelse for Flöÿten af Quanz (“Fantasies and Preludes. 8 Caprices and other Pieces for Exercise for the Flute by Quantz”). This manuscript has been kept in the Giedde Collection (named after its founder, Danish composer W.H.R.R. Giedde) in the Royal Library of Copenhagen, which hosts a fairly comprehensive collection of flute music from the second half of the 18th century.
Friday 18 January 2019
from “Nouvelle Méthode pour la flûte”
This simple, yet beautiful duet is taken from the Nouvelle Méthode théorique et pratique pour la flûte by French flutist and composer François Devienne, published in 1794.
Saturday 19 January 2019
from “40 Esercizi per Flauto”
Today's piece is the thirty-sixth study from 40 Esercizi per Flauto (40 Exercises for Flute), Op. 101, by Italian flutist, composer and arranger Luigi Hugues.
Sunday 20 January 2019
Traditional Scottish tune
This popular reel has long been a mainstay of Scottish tradition, and has been subsumed into the Irish. The earliest record of the tune is in Scottish musician David Young's manuscript of 1734, also known as the Drummond Castle manuscript.
To this day, the tune often accompanies a famous Highland Dance in which the dancers symbolically simulate the shape of deer's antlers with arms and fingers.
Monday 21 January 2019
from Flute Sonata No. 2 in E minor
This allemanda is the opening movement of the second sonata from Sonates pour la flûte traversière avec la basse, Op. 19 by the prolific French Baroque composer Joseph Bodin de Boismortier. These sonatas were originally published in Paris in 1727.
Tuesday 22 January 2019
from “La dame blanche”, arranged for two fllutes
This air is sung by Marguerite, the elderly housekeeper of the Counts of Avenel, in Act II of François-Adrien Boieldieu's 1825 opera La dame blanche (The White Lady). In the lyrics, the pauvre (‛poor’) Marguerite laments getting old.
The present arrangement for two flutes is taken from Blake's Young Flutist's Magazine, published in 1833.
Wednesday 23 January 2019
from “20 Studi progressivi e dilettevoli”
This study on single tonguing is the second piece from 20 Studi progressivi e dilettevoli per il Flauto (“20 progressive and delightful studies for the flute”) by Italian flutist Camillo Romanino.
Thursday 24 January 2019
Traditional reel
The only known appearance of this reel in print is in Harding's All-Round Collection of Jigs, Reels and Country Dances, published in New York in 1905. We transposed the melody from G major to B-flat major to better fit the range of the flute.
Friday 25 January 2019
from Violin partita in B minor
Johann Sebastian Bach composed the Partita No. 1 in B minor for solo violin, BWV 1002, in 1720. What we present today is a transcription for solo flute of the first movement of this Partita, the very rich-sounding allemanda. In order to fit the range of the flute, the piece has been transposed from B minor to E minor.
Thanks to Brandon for suggesting this piece!
Saturday 26 January 2019
for two flutes
This air is the sixth movement of the first of six Concerts à deux Flutes Traversières sans Basse by the French Baroque composer Michel Pignolet de Montéclair. Here the French word concert is a synonym of “suite”, and has nothing to do with the Italian concerto.
Sunday 27 January 2019
from “40 Esercizi per Flauto”
Today's piece is the thirty-seventh study from 40 Esercizi per Flauto (40 Exercises for Flute), Op. 101, by Italian flutist, composer and arranger Luigi Hugues.
Monday 28 January 2019
Traditional Irish reel
This Irish reel was collected by Chicago police captain Francis O'Neill, who included it in his collection Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody, published in 1922. O'Neill remarks that source Kelly was “a fiddler of phenomenal execution” living in San Francisco, California, and was a native of Roscommon, Ireland.
Tuesday 29 January 2019
for solo flute
This Vivace “in the French style” is one of 24 pieces attributed to the famous German flutist and composer Johann Joachim Quantz to have survived in a manuscript titled Fantasier og Preludier. 8. Capricier og andre Stykker til Øvelse for Flöÿten af Quanz (“Fantasies and Preludes. 8 Caprices and other Pieces for Exercise for the Flute by Quantz”). This manuscript has been kept in the Giedde Collection (named after its founder, Danish composer W.H.R.R. Giedde) in the Royal Library of Copenhagen, which hosts a fairly comprehensive collection of flute music from the second half of the 18th century.
Wednesday 30 January 2019
from “Nouvelle Méthode pour la flûte”
This short duet in D minor is taken from the Nouvelle Méthode théorique et pratique pour la flûte by French flutist and composer François Devienne, published in 1794.
Thursday 31 January 2019
from “20 Studi progressivi e dilettevoli”
This study in triplets is the third piece from 20 Studi progressivi e dilettevoli per il Flauto (“20 progressive and delightful studies for the flute”) by Italian flutist Camillo Romanino. The author notes that the player must take care to play all trills properly, and not execute them as simple mordents.