Tuesday 1 August 2023
from Violin Sonata in G minor
This short Adagio is the third movement of Georg Frideric Handel's Violin Sonata in G minor, HWV 364a, composed around 1722-24. Early editions indicate that the work is for oboe, even though it contains notes beyond the range of the oboe. Handel's original manuscript states that the sonata would be suitable “per la Viola da Gamba” (a Baroque-era instrument resembling a cello), suggesting that the change of instrument was probably sanctioned by the publishers, Walsh and Chrysander.
Wednesday 2 August 2023
from “Duos faciles et progressifs”
Today we propose the twenty-first piece from Duos faciles et progressifs pour 2 flûtes (Easy and progressive duets for 2 flutes) by Austro-Hungarian flutist and composer Adolf Terschak. It was first published in Paris in 1874.
Thursday 3 August 2023
from “48 Famous Studies for Oboe or Saxophone”
Today's piece is the thirty-fifth study from 48 Études pour hautbois ou saxophone, composed around 1835 by German oboist and clarinetist Franz Wilhelm Ferling.
Friday 4 August 2023
Traditional Irish jig
This Mixolydian-mode jig appears to be unique to Chicago police officer Francis O'Neill's early 20th-century collections Music of Ireland (1903) and The Dance Music of Ireland (1907).
Saturday 5 August 2023
from Flute Sonata in G minor
This is the third and final movement of Johann Joachim Quantz's Sonata in G minor for flute and continuo, QV 1:117. It is one of many works for flute that Quantz composed for his student and patron Frederick II, King of Prussia.
Sunday 6 August 2023
for two flutes
This is the fourth and last movement of a flute duet in B-flat major by the prolific Baroque composer Georg Philipp Telemann. It was first published by Telemann himself in 1727 as part of a collection of 6 flute duets, TWV 40:130-135.
Monday 7 August 2023
from “24 Studi di perfezionamento”
Today we propose the twenty-second piece from 24 Studi di perfezionamento per flauto, Op. 15, by Italian flutist, composer and arranger Luigi Hugues. It was first published in Milan in 1904.
Tuesday 8 August 2023
March by Rory Campbell
Today's tune is taken from a collection kindly donated to us by piper Roddy Campbell from the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. This particular melody, a pipe march, was composed by his son, Rory. The author's own recording from the album Nusa, featuring pipes, whistle and guitar, is available here.
Wednesday 9 August 2023
from Violin Sonata in G minor
This Allegro is the fourth and final movement of Georg Frideric Handel's Violin Sonata in G minor, HWV 364a, composed around 1722-24. Early editions indicate that the work is for oboe, even though it contains notes beyond the range of the oboe. Handel's original manuscript states that the sonata would be suitable “per la Viola da Gamba” (a Baroque-era instrument resembling a cello), suggesting that the change of instrument was probably sanctioned by the publishers, Walsh and Chrysander.
Thursday 10 August 2023
from “Duos faciles et progressifs”
Today we propose the twenty-second piece from Duos faciles et progressifs pour 2 flûtes (Easy and progressive duets for 2 flutes) by Austro-Hungarian flutist and composer Adolf Terschak. It was first published in Paris in 1874.
Friday 11 August 2023
from “48 Famous Studies for Oboe or Saxophone”
Today's piece is the thirty-sixth study from 48 Études pour hautbois ou saxophone, composed around 1835 by German oboist and clarinetist Franz Wilhelm Ferling.
Saturday 12 August 2023
Traditional Irish jig
The earliest known appearance of this Mixolydian-mode jig is in Francis O'Neill's celebrated collection Music of Ireland, published in Chicago in 1903.
A kneebuckle is a buckle used to fasten knee breeches at or just below the knee. It was commonly worn in the 18th century to hold the breeches tightly above or below the knee, but by the end of the century it was supplanted by ties at the knees.
Sunday 13 August 2023
from Violin Sonata in G minor
This is the opening movement of Johann Joachim Quantz's Sonata in G minor for flute and continuo, QV 1:126. It is one of many works for flute that Quantz composed for his student and patron Frederick II, King of Prussia.
Monday 14 August 2023
for two flutes
This is the opening movement of a flute duet in E major by the prolific Baroque composer Georg Philipp Telemann. It was first published by Telemann himself in 1727 as part of a collection of 6 flute duets, TWV 40:130-135.
Tuesday 15 August 2023
from “24 Studi di perfezionamento”
Today we propose the twenty-third piece from 24 Studi di perfezionamento per flauto, Op. 15, by Italian flutist, composer and arranger Luigi Hugues. It was first published in Milan in 1904.
Wednesday 16 August 2023
March by Corri Campbell
Today's tune is taken from a collection kindly donated to us by piper Roddy Campbell from the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. This particular melody, a pipe march, was composed by his grandson, Corri.
Thursday 17 August 2023
from Violin Sonata in A major
Today we propose the opening movement from a sonata for violin and basso continuo in A major, HWV 372, first published in 1730. It was originally thought to have been composed by George Frideric Handel, but modern scholars consider this doubtful, and have labelled it as “spurious”.
Friday 18 August 2023
from “Duos faciles et progressifs”
Today we propose the twenty-third piece from Duos faciles et progressifs pour 2 flûtes (Easy and progressive duets for 2 flutes) by Austro-Hungarian flutist and composer Adolf Terschak. It was first published in Paris in 1874.
Saturday 19 August 2023
from “48 Famous Studies for Oboe or Saxophone”
Today's piece is the thirty-seven study from 48 Études pour hautbois ou saxophone, composed around 1835 by German oboist and clarinetist Franz Wilhelm Ferling.
Sunday 20 August 2023
Traditional Irish jig
This tune is taken from the manuscripts of Irish artist George Petrie (1790–1866), which were first published posthumously as a complete collection in 1902. It is listed as a Munster jig, obtained from William Sheady via collector Patrick Weston Joyce.
The Irish-English verb “to croost” means to throw clods, derived from the Irish crústa, meaning a clod. There was a custom called “croosting” in the Irish “merry wake” tradition, where the dead person is waked with carnivalesque features. Generally an individual would be called upon to be the “organiser and director of the pranks and games of the wake assembly” (Ó Crualaoich, in Irish Popular culture 1650–1850, 1998), aided by his “hardy boys” or “prime lads”. These pranks and games had the purpose of keeping the wake attendees awake throughout the night. The games could be mimicry of local citizens or institutions, horseplay, and “croosting”, which apparently consisted of pelting those assembled with hard turf and other objects.
Francis O'Neill included a very similar jig in his 1903 and 1907 collections, under the title “The Sod of Turf”.
Monday 21 August 2023
from Flute Sonata in G minor
This is the central movement of Johann Joachim Quantz's Sonata in G minor for flute and continuo, QV 1:126. It is one of many works for flute that Quantz composed for his student and patron Frederick II, King of Prussia.
Tuesday 22 August 2023
for two flutes
This is the second movement of a flute duet in E major by the prolific Baroque composer Georg Philipp Telemann. It was first published by Telemann himself in 1727 as part of a collection of 6 flute duets, TWV 40:130-135.
Wednesday 23 August 2023
from “24 Studi di perfezionamento”
Today we propose the last piece from 24 Studi di perfezionamento per flauto, Op. 15, by Italian flutist, composer and arranger Luigi Hugues. It was first published in Milan in 1904.
Thursday 24 August 2023
March by Rory Campbell
Today's tune is taken from a collection kindly donated to us by piper Roddy Campbell from the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. This particular melody, a pipe march, was composed by his son, Rory, and is named after a beach on the isle of Barra. You can listen to the author's own recording of the piece here.
Friday 25 August 2023
from Violin Sonata in A major
Today we propose the second movement from a sonata for violin and basso continuo in A major, HWV 372, first published in 1730. It was originally thought to have been composed by George Frideric Handel, but modern scholars consider this doubtful, and have labelled it as “spurious”.
Saturday 26 August 2023
by Georg Philipp Telemann
This catchy Baroque duet by Georg Philipp Telemann was originally published in 1728 in the musical journal Der getreue Musikmeister (“The Faithful Music Master”).
The chalumeau is a single-reed woodwind instrument of the late baroque and early classical eras, which can be considered the predecessor to the modern-day clarinet. In order to counteract its limited range of just twelve notes, multiple sizes of chalumeau were produced, ranging from bass to soprano.
Sunday 27 August 2023
from “48 Famous Studies for Oboe or Saxophone”
Today's piece is the thirty-eighth study from 48 Études pour hautbois ou saxophone, composed around 1835 by German oboist and clarinetist Franz Wilhelm Ferling.
Monday 28 August 2023
Traditional Irish jig
The first appearance of this jig is in Francis O'Neill's collection Music of Ireland (Chicago, 1903), although the tune bears resemblance to the older “The Rambling Pitchfork”.
O'Neill learned the tune from an accomplished West Clare flute player (and Chicago police patrolman) named Patrick “Big Pat” O'Mahony, of whom he wrote: “the ‛swing’ of his execution was perfect, but instead of ‛beating time’ with his foot on the floor like most musicians he was never so much at ease as when seated in a chair tilted back against a wall, while both feet swung rhythmically like a double pendulum”.
Tuesday 29 August 2023
from Flute Sonata in G minor
This is the third and final movement of Johann Joachim Quantz's Sonata in G minor for flute and continuo, QV 1:126. It is one of many works for flute that Quantz composed for his student and patron Frederick II, King of Prussia.
Wednesday 30 August 2023
for two flutes
This “Amoroso” (literally, “loving”) in A minor is the third movement of a flute duet in E major by the prolific Baroque composer Georg Philipp Telemann. It was first published by Telemann himself in 1727 as part of a collection of 6 flute duets, TWV 40:130-135.
Thursday 31 August 2023
from “18 Studi o Soli”
Today we propose the first piece from 18 Studi o Soli per flauto (“18 Studies or Solos for flute”) by 19th-century Italian flutist and composer Giulio Briccialdi.