Free Flute Sheet Music

Tune of the Day: Pezzo in forma di sonatina

“Pezzo in forma di sonatina” is the name Tchaikovsky gave to the first movement of his Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48. Premiered in 1880, this work remains one of the late Romantic era's most definitive compositions.

Tchaikovsky intended the first movement to be an imitation of Mozart's style, and he based it on the form of the classical sonatina, starting with a slow introductory section. This stirring “Andante non troppo” introduction, which bears the indication "sempre marcatissimo" (“always very marked”), is restated at the end of the movement, and also reappears, transformed, in the coda of the last movement, thus tying the entire work together.

Tune of the Day: Barney O'Neill

The earliest appearance of this tune, under the title “Brian O'Niel”, is found in the 1838 music copybook of Lake District (northwest England) musician William Irwin. Flute player William Killey of Jurby, Isle of Man, entered the tune in his mid-19th-century music copybook as “Patrick O'Neal”, while the contemporary manuscripts of James Goodman (County Cork, Ireland) have it under the title "Doctor O'Neill".

The jig is a member of the “Young Tim Murphy” tune family.

Tune of the Day: Study in C major by Andersen

Today we propose the first étude from Joachim Andersen's Twenty-Four Etudes for Flute, Op. 33. This is basically a never-ending run of sixteenth notes, but don't be afraid to breathe!

Tune of the Day: Larghetto by Telemann

This Larghetto is the slow central movement of Georg Philipp Telemann's third Canonic Sonata. As with all of these sonatas, the two players play the exact same melody, but one measure apart. Trill endings have been written out, so that you can instantly know which accidentals to play.

Tune of the Day: Tre giorni son che Nina

“Tre giorni son che Nina” is one of the best-known arias of the Italian Baroque. The lyrics refer to the concern of a man for his beloved Nina, who is in bed seriously ill. This is a common topic in the popular music of the period.

For three long days my Nina, my Nina, my Nina
Upon her bed has lain, upon her bed has lain.
Louder and louder, ye players all, awaken my Ninetta,
Awaken my Ninetta, that she may sleep no more.

Despite the enormous popularity of the air, there are still serious doubts about its attribution. For nearly a century and a half, the air has been attributed to Pergolesi, and it still is, despite the absence of any element linking it with the Italian composer. Since the first known execution of the piece took place in 1749, some scholars consider Vincenzo Ciampi as the most likely author; however, the problem remains open. In particular, the style of the air seems to follow the style of the Neapolitan school, and not that of the Venetian school which Ciampi belonged to.

This aria makes a great encore piece, and it was often used as such by famous violinists Fritz Kreisler and Nathan Milstein.

Tune of the Day: All Alive

This minor-mode jig is often attributed to blind Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan (1670–1738), although Donal O'Sullivan in his definitive work on the bard (Carolan: Life and Times of an Irish Harper, 1958) could find no incontrovertible evidence of its origin. To complicate things, there exist a number of versions of the same melody in 18th-century English and Scottish manuscripts, presented under a variety of names.

Tune of the Day: Study in F minor by Berbiguier

Today we propose the tenth étude from 18 exercices pour la flûte traversière by French Romantic composer Benoit Tranquille Berbiguier.