Friday 14 February 2025
Traditional Irish jig
The earliest known appearance of this jig is in Francis O'Neill's collection Music of Ireland, published in Chicago in 1903. O'Neill's source for this tune was his colleague, Police Sergeant James Kerwin.
No words of mine could do justice to Sergeant Kerwin—the genial, hospitable “Jim” Kerwin, not as a fluter and a lover of the music of his ancestors, but as a host at his magnificent private residence on Wabash Avenue. On his invitation and that of his equally hospitable and charming wife, a select company, attracted and united by a common hobby, met monthly on Sunday afternoons at his house for years.
Thursday 13 February 2025
from “20 Easy and Melodic Studies”
This étude in B minor is taken from the first book of Twenty Easy Melodic Progressive Studies by Italian flutist and composer Ernesto Köhler. It mainly focuses on articulation, and at the beginning you will find the indication molto staccato, demanding for a very sharp staccato.
Wednesday 12 February 2025
by Amilcare Ponchielli, arranged for Flute duet
The “Dance of the Hours” is a ballet from the opera La Gioconda by Italian composer Amilcare Ponchielli. First performed in 1876, La Gioconda was a major success for Ponchielli, as well as the most successful new Italian opera between Verdi's Aida (1871) and Otello (1887).
The “Dance of the Hours” is considered one of the most popular ballet pieces in history. The ballet was parodied in Walt Disney's 1940 classic Fantasia. The segment consists of the whole ballet, but performed comically by animals rather than humans. The dancers of the morning are represented by Madame Upanova and her ostriches. The dancers of the daytime are represented by Hyacinth Hippo and her servants. The dancers of the evening are represented by Elephanchine and her bubble-blowing elephant troupe. The dancers of the night are represented by Ben Ali Gator and his troop of alligators.
Another famous parody of the “Dance of the Hours” is Allan Sherman's 1963 song “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh”, describing a miserable time at summer camp. It uses the main theme of the ballet as its melody.
Tuesday 11 February 2025
Traditional Prussian March by Frederick the Great
Did you know that King Frederick II of Prussia was a gifted musician who played the transverse flute? He composed 100 sonatas for the flute as well as four symphonies. His court musicians included C.P.E. Bach, Johann Joachim Quantz, and Franz Benda. It was a meeting with Johann Sebastian Bach in 1747 in Potsdam that led to Bach writing The Musical Offering.
And it was the “Old Fritz”, as the king was nicknamed, who wrote the “Hohenfriedberger”, one of the best known German military marches. It is named for the victory of the Prussians over the allied Austrians and Saxons in 1745 during the Second Silesian War in the Battle of Hohenfriedberg, near Striegau.
You may remember this march being used at the beginning of the film Stalingrad, or in Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon depicting the Prussian army during the Seven Years War.
Monday 10 February 2025
Traditional Irish jig
This jig appears to be unique to Chicago Police Captain Francis O'Neill's collections Music of Ireland (1903) and The Dance Music of Ireland (1907).
Coomanore is the name of an actual place in Ireland. It is now split between the townlands of Coomanore North and Coomanore South, both located in County Cork.
Sunday 9 February 2025
from “Eighteen Exercises or Etudes for Flute”
This is the third étude from 18 exercices pour la flûte traversière by French Romantic composer Benoit Tranquille Berbiguier. Try to keep a steady tempo throughout the piece, and don't let the quintuplets scare you!
Saturday 8 February 2025
by Johann Sebastian Bach, arranged for flute trio
Today we present the central movement of J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, a slow 3/4-time Andante in E minor. The original work features a violin and two recorders playing against a string ripieno, but here we have adapted the score so that the piece could be played by three flutes.