Wednesday 1 November 2017
from “22 Studies in Expression and Facility”
This is the third piece from 22 Studies in Expression and Facility, Op. 89 by Italian flutist and composer Ernesto Köhler. This collection was originally published in 1904 with the German title 22 Vortrags- und Geläufigkeits Etuden für Flöte.
Thursday 2 November 2017
Traditional Irish reel
This reel is taken from Francis O'Neill's collection Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody, published in 1922. O'Neill remarks:
This famous reel as played by John Kelly, a fiddler of phenomenal execution now living in San Francisco Cal., is a florid setting of Sergt. James O'Neill's “Northern Lasses” printed in the O'Neill Collections. Kelly, a native of Roscommon, Ireland, says this reel was known as “Kelly's Reel” before his time.
Friday 3 November 2017
from “Il pastor fido” Sonata No. 6
This is the second movement of the sixth of the Il pastor fido sonatas, first published in 1737 and traditionally attributed to Antonio Vivaldi. The actual composer, Nicolas Chédeville, made a secret agreement with Jean-Noël Marchand to publish a collection of his own compositions as Vivaldi's Op. 13. Chédeville supplied the money and received the profits, all of which was recorded in a notarial act. This may have been an attempt to give his instrument, the musette, the endorsement of a great composer which it lacked.
Saturday 4 November 2017
by Michael Kelly, arranged for two flutes
This flute duet appears in Blake's Young Flutist's Magazine, published in Philadelphia in 1833. It is an arrangement of one of the best known songs by Irish tenor and composer Michael Kelly, which he wrote to words by Thomas Moore.
I knew by the smoke that so gracefully curl'd
Above the green elms, that a cottage was near,
And I said, “If there's peace to be found in the world,
A heart that is humble might hope for it here!”
Sunday 5 November 2017
from “Studi per il flauto”
This study in E major is the ninth piece from Studi per il flauto in tutti j tuoni e modi (“Flute studies in all keys and modes”) by French-Italian flutist and composer Niccolò Dôthel (a.k.a. Nicolas D'Hotel).
Monday 6 November 2017
Traditional Scottish jig
This G-major jig, probably of Scottish origin, is taken from Harding's All-Round Collection of Jigs, Reels and Country Dances, published in New York in 1905.
Tuesday 7 November 2017
from Partita No. 6, arranged for flute and keyboard
This is the third movement of Georg Philipp Telemann's Partita No. 6 in E-flat major, TWV 41:Es1, originally published in 1716 as part of the Kleine Kammermusik (“little chamber music”) collection. The original edition indicates that the melody is intended to be played by an oboe, a violin, or a flute.
Wednesday 8 November 2017
from Trio Sonata in D minor, transcribed for two flutes
This giga is the third and final movement of Italian Baroque composer Arcangelo Corelli's Trio Sonata No. 2 in D minor, published in 1685. Corelli was a violinist, and this sonata was originally scored for two violins and continuo; however, it can be played without modification by two modern flutes.
Thanks to Mario for contributing this piece!
Thursday 9 November 2017
from “22 Studies in Expression and Facility”
This is the fourth piece from 22 Studies in Expression and Facility, Op. 89 by Italian flutist and composer Ernesto Köhler. This collection was originally published in 1904 with the German title 22 Vortrags- und Geläufigkeits Etuden für Flöte.
Friday 10 November 2017
Traditional Irish reel
The earliest appearance of this reel is in James Aird's A Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs, which was published in 6 volumes between 1782 and 1797.
Saturday 11 November 2017
from “Il pastor fido” Sonata No. 6
This is the third movement of the sixth of the Il pastor fido sonatas, first published in 1737 and traditionally attributed to Antonio Vivaldi. The actual composer, Nicolas Chédeville, made a secret agreement with Jean-Noël Marchand to publish a collection of his own compositions as Vivaldi's Op. 13. Chédeville supplied the money and received the profits, all of which was recorded in a notarial act. This may have been an attempt to give his instrument, the musette, the endorsement of a great composer which it lacked.
Sunday 12 November 2017
Traditional American tune
Today's flute duet is taken from Blake's Young Flutist's Magazine, published in Philadelphia in 1833. The Hunting Park of the title is the name of a historical park and neighborhood in North Philadelphia.
Monday 13 November 2017
from “Studi per il flauto”
This study in E minor is the tenth piece from Studi per il flauto in tutti j tuoni e modi (“Flute studies in all keys and modes”) by French-Italian flutist and composer Niccolò Dôthel (a.k.a. Nicolas D'Hotel).
Tuesday 14 November 2017
Traditional Irish air
According to Tomás Ó Canainn's autobiography A Lifetime of Notes (1996), this slow air was originally collected in the west Cork Gaeltacht (a primarily Irish-speaking region) from the singing of a woman in the late 19th century. Among the most notable recordings are those by singer Iarla Ó Lionáird and by tin whistle master Mary Bergin.
Thanks to Phil for suggesting this tune!
Wednesday 15 November 2017
from Partita No. 6, arranged for flute and keyboard
This chaconne is the fourth movement of Georg Philipp Telemann's Partita No. 6 in E-flat major, TWV 41:Es1, originally published in 1716 as part of the Kleine Kammermusik (“little chamber music”) collection. The original edition indicates that the melody is intended to be played by an oboe, a violin, or a flute.
Thursday 16 November 2017
arranged for three flutes
This arrangement for three flutes of the famous Flower Duet by Delibes was kindly contributed to our collection by Deborah Twiddy.
The duet originally takes place in Act I of Léo Delibes's opera Lakmé, first performed in Paris in 1883. It is sung by Lakmé (soprano), the daughter of a Brahmin priest, and her servant Mallika (mezzo-soprano), as they go to gather flowers by a river.
Friday 17 November 2017
from “22 Studies in Expression and Facility”
This is the fifth piece from 22 Studies in Expression and Facility, Op. 89 by Italian flutist and composer Ernesto Köhler. This collection was originally published in 1904 with the German title 22 Vortrags- und Geläufigkeits Etuden für Flöte.
Saturday 18 November 2017
Traditional French folk song
“Ai vist lo lop” (“I saw the wolf”) is an old traditional Occitan folk song believed to date back to the 13th century. Occitan was historically the main language spoken in southern France, and it is sometimes still used, for the most part as a second language. Two versions of this song exist, one in the form of a 3/8-time bourrée and one in duple or quadruple meter. Both are still sung today, but the latter is more prevalent, and is also used as a nursery rhyme.
Sunday 19 November 2017
from “Il pastor fido” Sonata No. 6
This is the closing movement of the sixth of the Il pastor fido sonatas, first published in 1737 and traditionally attributed to Antonio Vivaldi. The actual composer, Nicolas Chédeville, made a secret agreement with Jean-Noël Marchand to publish a collection of his own compositions as Vivaldi's Op. 13. Chédeville supplied the money and received the profits, all of which was recorded in a notarial act. This may have been an attempt to give his instrument, the musette, the endorsement of a great composer which it lacked.
Monday 20 November 2017
from Trio Sonata in C major, transcribed for two flutes
Today we propose the opening movement of Italian Baroque composer Arcangelo Corelli's Trio Sonata No. 3 in C major, published in 1685. Corelli was a violinist, and strictly speaking this sonata was originally scored for two violins and continuo; however, in those times it was typical to write scores that were adaptable to different instruments, so that they could be sold to the widest possible audience, and it is evident that the concept also applies to this sonata.
Thanks to Mario for contributing this piece!
Tuesday 21 November 2017
from “Studi per il flauto”
This study in E-flat major is the eleventh piece from Studi per il flauto in tutti j tuoni e modi (“Flute studies in all keys and modes”) by French-Italian flutist and composer Niccolò Dôthel (a.k.a. Nicolas D'Hotel).
Wednesday 22 November 2017
Traditional Irish/Scottish tune
This piece is the Scottish version of the Irish planxty “George Brabazon”, attributed to the famous blind harper Turlough O'Carloan (1670–1734). There is, however, no definitive evidence that it was really composed by the harper. Early printings of the melody can be found in the Gillespie Manuscript of Perth (1768) and in the 4th volume of James Aird's Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Tunes (1796), as well as in Gow's Repository of the Dance Music of Scotland (1802). Interestingly, the earliest Irish source for “George Brabazon” appears to be O'Neill's Music of Ireland, which was only published in 1903, more than a century later.
Thursday 23 November 2017
from Partita No. 6, arranged for flute and keyboard
This is the fifth movement of Georg Philipp Telemann's Partita No. 6 in E-flat major, TWV 41:Es1, originally published in 1716 as part of the Kleine Kammermusik (“little chamber music”) collection. The original edition indicates that the melody is intended to be played by an oboe, a violin, or a flute.
Friday 24 November 2017
by M.A. Charpentier, arranged for flute choir
This prelude, or marche en rondeau, serves as an instrumental introduction to the grand polyphonic motet Te Deum, which French Baroque composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier wrote (probably) between 1688 and 1698.
Many thanks go to Steve Thorne for contributing this arrangement for flute choir (3 concert flutes, alto flute, and bass flute)!
Saturday 25 November 2017
from “22 Studies in Expression and Facility”
This is the sixth piece from 22 Studies in Expression and Facility, Op. 89 by Italian flutist and composer Ernesto Köhler. This collection was originally published in 1904 with the German title 22 Vortrags- und Geläufigkeits Etuden für Flöte.
Sunday 26 November 2017
Traditional Irish reel
The only known appearance of this tune in print is in Francis O'Neill's collection Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody, published in Chicago in 1922.
This reel is unrelated to the jig of the same name, which is also known as the Old Time Straight Jig.
Monday 27 November 2017
by Franz Schubert, transcribed for flute and piano
Franz Schubert completed his “Gretchen am Spinnrade” (“Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel”) in October 1814, three months before his eighteenth birthday. The Lied (term which denotes the setting of a German poem to classical music) uses the text from Part One, Scene 18 of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's tragic play Faust, which sees Gretchen at her spinning wheel, thinking of Faust. The distinctive accompaniment in the right hand mimics the perpetual movement of the spinning-wheel, while the left hand imitates the foot treadle.
Thanks to Kaylee for suggesting this piece!
Tuesday 28 November 2017
arranged for three flutes
“Old King Cole” is a British nursery rhyme first attested in 1708. There has been much speculation about the identity of King Cole, but it is unlikely that he can be identified reliably as any historical figure. The lyrics of the song describe a merry king who called for his pipe (which could be a musical instrument or a tobacco pipe), bowl (drinking cup), and musicians, with the details varying among versions.
The present arrangement for three flutes is taken from Blake's Young Flutist's Magazine, published in 1833.
Wednesday 29 November 2017
from “Studi per il flauto”
This nice little minuet in E-flat minor is the twelfth piece from Studi per il flauto in tutti j tuoni e modi (“Flute studies in all keys and modes”) by French-Italian flutist and composer Niccolò Dôthel (a.k.a. Nicolas D'Hotel).
Thursday 30 November 2017
Traditional Scottish reel
The earliest appearance of this tune is in the 2nd volume of James Aird's A Selection of Scots, English, Irish and Foreign Airs, published in Glasgow in 1785. The same tune subsequently appeared under the title “King William of Orange” in the music manuscript collections of Lincolnshire musician Thomas Sands (1810) and Lancashire musician HSJ Jackson (1823).