This charming 3/8-time Allegro is the closing movement of a Sonata in G major for flute and continuo, written around 1750 by Italian Classical composer Giuseppe Sarti.
Johann Sebastian Bach's Two-Part Inventions are a collection of fifteen short keyboard compositions, originally written as musical exercises for his students.
Today we present the sixth of the inventions in an arrangement for two flutes by Wilhelm Schönicke, originally published in 1902. Because of its syncopated rhythms, this duet demands great concentration.
This gentle Andante is the thirtieth piece from French flutist and composer Louis Drouet's 72 Studies on Taste and Style for the Boehm Flute, published in 1855.
This G-major hornpipe is taken from the third volume of George P. Knauff's Virginia Reels, originally published in Baltimore in 1839.
This minuet and its three accompanying variations constitute the third and final movement of a Sonata in C major for flute or violin written by Czech Classical composer Johann Baptist Wanhal.
This “Moderato” is the opening movement of the twelfth sonata from a collection of 12 “little sonatas” for two flutes by the prolific French Baroque composer Joseph Bodin de Boismortier. At its end it features a slow 4-bar coda in 3/2 time.
The study we present today is the third piece from a collection of 24 studies for the flute by Theobald Boehm, the German inventor who perfected the modern Western concert flute and improved its fingering system.
This moving slow air is usually played on the Uilleann pipes (the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland), but if properly ornamented it can sound lovely on the flute as well. The present version of the melody is taken from O'Neill's Music of Ireland, published in 1903.
In the lyrics that are sometimes sung to this tune, the singer bemoans the dark slender bottle of whiskey, the cause of his misfortunes.
Thanks to Fred for suggesting this tune!
This very nice piece for two flutes and piano was kindly contributed to our collection by Spanish composer Pablo Toribio.
The “Dance of the Villain” is part of a set of compositions for two flutes and piano titled La Princesa de la Media Luna (“The Princess of the Half Moon”). Since these compositions are based on a medieval legend that takes place in the so-called Montes Torozos (Valladolid, Spain), old Hispanic harmonies have been used. In the first part of this piece (tempo a piacere) the harmonic scheme known as “La Folia” (I-V-I-VII-III-VII-I-V) is used, which was an old compositional resource used in Spain. The second part (presto tempo) constitutes a musical metaphor of a kind of paloteo, a dance with sticks very common in the villages located in Montes Torozos. The clicking of sticks is symbolized by a rhythmic-imitative game played by the flutes. We suggest that, at this point, the flutes do not remain too close together to create a “stereo” effect.
Today we propose duet No. 13 from the second volume of Luigi Hugues's La scuola del flauto (The School of the Flute).
Thanks to Paolo for contributing this piece!
The title of this tune appears in Henry Robson's list of popular Northumbrian song and dance tunes (The Northern Minstrel's Budget), which he published circa 1800.
Thanks to Ronald for suggesting this tune!
This study on E minor scales is the thirty-first piece from French flutist and composer Louis Drouet's 72 Studies on Taste and Style for the Boehm Flute, published in 1855.
This Baroque-style Cantabile is the opening movement of a Sonata in G major for flute and continuo, written around 1750 by Italian Classical composer Giuseppe Sarti.
This English country dance tune first appears in print in the second volume of Alexander Stuart's Musick for Allan Ramsey's Collection of Scots Songs, published in 1724. According to Joseph Ritson's 1794 collection Scottish Songs, the title refers to the birthday of the popular Scottish King James VII.
Johann Sebastian Bach's Two-Part Inventions are a collection of fifteen short keyboard compositions, originally written as musical exercises for his students.
Today we present the seventh of the inventions in an arrangement for two flutes by Wilhelm Schönicke, originally published in 1902.
This agitated study is the second piece from a collection of 24 studies for the flute by Theobald Boehm, the German inventor who perfected the modern Western concert flute and improved its fingering system.
The lyrics of this song appear in print as early as 1724, and a tune was published in 1733. But it was not this tune! The present slow air, which probably also dates back a couple centuries, was made popular by the New York folk group The Beers Family in the 1960s.
Dumbarton's drums they sound sae bonnie
And they remind me o' my Johnnie,
Such fond delight doth steal upon me
When Johnnie kneels and kisses me.
There is also a male version of the lyrics, with “Johnnie” changed to “Jeannie”, which has notably been recorded by The Corries.
Today we propose the first movement of Belgian organist and composer César Franck's Prélude, Fugue et Variation, Op. 18 for organ. It was written between 1860 and 1862, and dedicated to composer Camille Saint-Saëns.
Thanks to Dawn for suggesting this piece!
The courante we present today is the second movement of the twelfth sonata from a collection of 12 “little sonatas” for two flutes by the prolific French Baroque composer Joseph Bodin de Boismortier.
This arpeggiated study in D major is the thirty-second piece from French flutist and composer Louis Drouet's 72 Studies on Taste and Style for the Boehm Flute, published in 1855.
This Irish hornpipe is taken from Harding's All-Round Collection of Jigs, Reels and Country Dances, published in New York in 1905.
This Adagio is the central movement of a Sonata in G major for flute or violin written by Czech Classical composer Johann Baptist Wanhal.
This flute trio was kindly contributed to our collection by its composer, Corrado Cristaldi from Italy. The piece was born as a useful study for intonation, but has also been performed in recitals. It features a couple of extended techniques, namely harmonics and “suono soffiato” (a.k.a. aeolian sound or son soufflé), where the flutist has to produce a very airy sound (this effect is not present in the MIDI and MP3 previews, sorry about that).
The main theme is loosely based on an Italian Catholic song by A. Marani, “Il Signore è la mia salvezza”. The literary quotations in French are a tribute to the travellers/writers who have described Italy in the eighteenth century.
The study we present today is the fifth piece from a collection of 24 studies for the flute by Theobald Boehm, the German inventor who perfected the modern Western concert flute and improved its fingering system.
The Agincourt Carol (sometimes known by its chorus and central words, “Deo gratias Anglia”) was written some time in the early 15th century. It recounts the Battle of Agincourt, in which the English army led by Henry V of England defeated that of the French Charles VI in what is now the Pas-de-Calais region of France. The battle took place on October 25, 1415, so today marks its 600th Anniversary!
Thanks to Steve for suggesting this song!
This piece appears, together with the more famous Minuet in G major, in the Notebook for Anna Magdalena, a notebook which Bach offered to his wife Anna Magdalena in 1725 and which was to be filled with favorite selections of the members of the Bach family. Both pieces have traditionally been attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach until the 1970s, when the Minuet in G major was identified as a piece from a harpsichord suite by Dresden organist Christian Petzold.
Thanks to Samaa for suggesting this tune!
Johann Sebastian Bach's Two-Part Inventions are a collection of fifteen short keyboard compositions, originally written as musical exercises for his students.
Today we present the eighth of the inventions in an arrangement for two flutes by Wilhelm Schönicke, originally published in 1902.
This “Allegro moderato ma agitato” is the thirty-third piece from French flutist and composer Louis Drouet's 72 Studies on Taste and Style for the Boehm Flute, published in 1855.
This hornpipe is taken from the 1903 edition of Francis O'Neill's Music of Ireland. The reported source for this melody is one of O'Neill's collaborators, Chicago Police Sergeant James O'Neill.
This agitated Allegro is the second movement of a Sonata in G major for flute and continuo, written around 1750 by Italian composer Giuseppe Sarti.
This celebrated canon is based on a short Latin hymn used as a prayer of thanksgiving and expression of humility. English historians used to be unanimous in describing “Non nobis Domine” as the composition of William Byrd; however, it is not to be found in any volume of his published works.
Shakespeare's Henry V has the king proclaim the singing of “Non nobis Domine” after the victory at Agincourt (1415). The canon is sung in the 1944 film of Henry V starring Laurence Olivier, though we now know that this version was not in existence when Shakespeare wrote his play. A completely different musical setting of the hymn was composed (and sung) by Patrick Doyle for the 1989 film adaptation by Kenneth Branagh.
Thanks to Steve for suggesting this tune!