Saturday 1 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Giga by John Ranish

 from Flute Sonata in D minor

This Giga is the third movement of Sonata No. 9 in D minor from John Ranish's XII Solos for the German Flute, Op. 2, first published in London in 1744.

Categories: Baroque Jigs Sonatas Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Sunday 2 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Tempo di Minuetto by Quantz

 from Flute Duet No. 3 in B minor

This minuet-like piece is the third and final movement of a Flute Duet in B minor that the famous German flutist and composer Johann Joachim Quantz composed in 1759.

Categories: Baroque Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Monday 3 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Study in A minor by Karg-Elert

 from “30 Caprices for Flute Solo”

This 10/8-time étude is the seventh piece from Sigfried Karg-Elert's 30 Caprices: a “Gradus ad Parnassum” of the modern technique for flute solo.

Categories: 20th century Etudes Written for Flute Difficulty: advanced
Tuesday 4 June 2013

Tune of the Day: True Blue

 Traditional English jig

This D-major jig appears in Cumbrian musician John Rook’s book Multum in Parvo, or a Collection of old English, Scotch, Irish, Welsh Tunes, dated 1840.

Categories: Jigs Traditional/Folk Difficulty: easy
Wednesday 5 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Nel cor più non mi sento

 by Giovanni Paisiello, transcribed for flute and piano

This soprano aria (or rather arietta, as it's a very short piece) is taken from Act 2 of Giovanni Paisiello's 1788 opera L'amor contrastato, ossia La molinara. The aria was immortalized by Beethoven, who composed six variations for piano in 1795.

In concert performances, this piece is often performed with a complete da capo where the interpreter applies ornaments and embellishments during the repetition.

Categories: Arias Classical Opera excerpts Difficulty: intermediate
Thursday 6 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Andante by Loeillet

 from Sonata for two flutes in E minor

This Andante in E minor opens the sixth of Belgian Baroque composer Jean-Baptiste Loeillet's second book of Six sonatas of two parts, made on purpose for two German flutes, first published in London in 1720.

Thanks to Joyce Kai for contributing this piece!

Categories: Baroque Sonatas Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Friday 7 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Study in G minor by Gariboldi

 from “Thirty Easy and Progressive Studies”

Today we propose étude No. 25 from Italian Romantic composer Giuseppe Gariboldi's collection of 30 Etudes faciles et progressives.

Categories: Etudes Romantic Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Saturday 8 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Vèni sonne di la muntagnella

 Traditional Italian folk tune

This traditional lullaby comes from Calabria, a region of southern Italy. It was recorded by the famous Italian singer Mia Martini in 1975.

Thanks to Marina for suggesting this tune!

Categories: Lullabies Traditional/Folk Difficulty: easy
Sunday 9 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Rey de los bordoneos

 Tango by Eduardo Arolas, arranged for flute and guitar

Here is another tango by Argentinian bandoneon player and composer Eduardo Arolas. This “Gran tango original”, as the piece is subtitled, is in four parts, and alternates between the keys of F-sharp minor and D major.

Many thanks to Joyce Kai for contributing this piece!

Categories: Latin American Tangos Difficulty: intermediate
Monday 10 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Adagio by Loeillet

 from Sonata for two flutes in E minor

Here is the second movement of the sixth sonata from the second book of Belgian Baroque composer Jean-Baptiste Loeillet's collection of Six sonatas of two parts, made on purpose for two German flutes, first published in London in 1720.

Categories: Baroque Sonatas Written for Flute Difficulty: easy
Tuesday 11 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Study in F major by Karg-Elert

 from “30 Caprices for Flute Solo”

Today's piece is the eighth étude from Sigfried Karg-Elert's 30 Caprices: a “Gradus ad Parnassum” of the modern technique for flute solo.

Categories: 20th century Etudes Written for Flute Difficulty: advanced
Wednesday 12 June 2013

Tune of the Day: The Yankee Doodle Boy

 American patriotic song

This patriotic song was originally part of George M. Cohan's 1904 Broadway musical Little Johnny Jones. The play concerns the trials and tribulations of a fictional American jockey, Johnny Jones, who rides a horse named Yankee Doodle in the English Derby. Cohan incorporates snippets of several popular traditional American songs into his own, as he often did with his songs.

Categories: Patriotic Difficulty: easy
Thursday 13 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Grave Adagio by Albinoni

 from “Trattenimenti armonici”

The “Grave Adagio” in D major we present today is the opening movement of the seventh Sonata from the Trattenimenti armonici collection by Italian Baroque composer Tomaso Albinoni.

Categories: Baroque Sonatas Difficulty: intermediate
Friday 14 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Aria by Blavet

 from Sonata for two flutes in D minor

This Aria is the third movement of a Sonata in D minor written for two flutes by Michel Blavet. It was first published in 1728.

Categories: Baroque Sonatas Written for Flute Difficulty: easy
Saturday 15 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Study in A major by Gariboldi

 from “Thirty Easy and Progressive Studies”

This study in syncopation is Etude No. 26 from Italian Romantic composer Giuseppe Gariboldi's collection of 30 Etudes faciles et progressives.

Categories: Etudes Romantic Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Sunday 16 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Birk Hall

 Traditional Scottish Strathspey

This pipe tune first appeared in Robert Ross's Choice Selection of Scots, Reels,Country Dances & Strathspeys (1780). The tune is named after Birkhall, a vast estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, whose name derives from the Scottish birk haugh, meaning ‛birch river-meadow’.

Categories: Strathspeys Traditional/Folk Difficulty: intermediate
Monday 17 June 2013

Tune of the Day: The Emperor Waltz

 by Johann Strauss II, transcribed for solo flute

Johann Strauss II composed the Kaiser-Walzer in 1889. The waltz was originally titled “Hand in Hand”, and was intended as a toast made in August of that year by Austrian emperor Franz Josef on the occasion of his visit to the German Kaiser Wilhelm II where it was symbolic as a ”toast of friendship” extended by Austria to Germany. Strauss' publisher, Fritz Simrock, suggested the title Kaiser-Walzer since the title could allude to either monarch, and thus satisfy the vanity of both rulers.

Categories: Waltzes Difficulty: easy
Tuesday 18 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Allegro by Loeillet

 from Sonata for two flutes in E minor

This is the third movement of the sixth sonata from the second book of Belgian Baroque composer Jean-Baptiste Loeillet's collection of Six sonatas of two parts, made on purpose for two German flutes, first published in London in 1720.

Thanks to Joyce Kai for contributing this piece!

Categories: Baroque Sonatas Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Wednesday 19 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Study in G major by Karg-Elert

 from “30 Caprices for Flute Solo”

Today's piece is the ninth étude from Sigfried Karg-Elert's 30 Caprices: a “Gradus ad Parnassum” of the modern technique for flute solo.

Categories: 20th century Etudes Written for Flute Difficulty: advanced
Thursday 20 June 2013

Tune of the Day: The Liberty Bell March

 by John Philip Sousa, transcribed for solo flute

John Philip Sousa composed this military march in 1893. It was originally written for Sousa's unfinished operetta The Devil's Deputy, but financing for the show fell through. Shortly afterwards, Sousa and his band manager George Hinton attended the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. As they watched the spectacle “America”, in which a backdrop depicting the Liberty Bell was lowered, Hinton suggested “The Liberty Bell” as the title of Sousa's recently completed piece.

The march is now most often associated with the British TV comedy program Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–74), which used the piece as a signature tune.

Thanks to Steve for suggesting this piece!

Categories: Marches Military music Patriotic Difficulty: intermediate
Friday 21 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Presto by Wanhal

 from Sonata in G major

This Presto is the third movement of a Sonata in G major for flute or violin written by Czech composer Johann Baptist Wanhal.

Categories: Classical Sonatas Difficulty: intermediate
Saturday 22 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Sarabanda by Blavet

 from Sonata for two flutes in D minor

This Sarabande in D major is the fourth movement of a Sonata in D minor written for two flutes by Michel Blavet. It was first published in 1728.

Categories: Baroque Sonatas Written for Flute Difficulty: easy
Sunday 23 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Study in F-sharp minor by Gariboldi

 from “Thirty Easy and Progressive Studies”

Today we propose étude No. 27 from Italian Romantic composer Giuseppe Gariboldi's collection of 30 Etudes faciles et progressives.

Categories: Etudes Romantic Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Monday 24 June 2013

Tune of the Day: The Mayor of Garratt

 Traditional English tune

This 2/4-time country dance tune is unique to London publishers Charles and Samuel Thompson’s 1765 Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 2.

The Garrat Elections were a carnival of mock elections in 18th-century Surrey, England. The events were organized around May 20, when a crowd of tens of thousands would travel down from London to take part. The fame of the Garratt elections was spread by Samuel Foote's 1764 farce, which was titled The Mayor of Garret as well.

Categories: Dance tunes Traditional/Folk Difficulty: easy
Tuesday 25 June 2013

Tune of the Day: El cachorrito

 Tango criollo by Angel Villoldo

Here is another tango arrangement for flute and guitar. This “Creole tango” was composed by Argentinian singer and composer Ángel Villoldo, often nicknamed “the father of tango”.

Thanks to Joyce Kai for contributing this piece!

Categories: Latin American Tangos Difficulty: intermediate
Wednesday 26 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Allegro by Loeillet

 from Sonata for two flutes in E minor

This is the fourth and final movement of the sixth sonata from the second book of Belgian Baroque composer Jean-Baptiste Loeillet's collection of Six sonatas of two parts, made on purpose for two German flutes, first published in London in 1720.

Categories: Baroque Sonatas Written for Flute Difficulty: easy
Thursday 27 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Study in A major by Karg-Elert

 from “30 Caprices for Flute Solo”

Today's piece is the tenth étude from Sigfried Karg-Elert's 30 Caprices: a “Gradus ad Parnassum” of the modern technique for flute solo.

Categories: 20th century Etudes Written for Flute Difficulty: advanced
Friday 28 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Stepney's Rant

 Traditional Irish jig

This low D-major jig appears in O’Farrell's Pocket Companion, vol. IV, published in 1810. Its first half is shared with another Irish jig, known as “Jackson’s Fancy”.

Categories: Jigs Traditional/Folk Difficulty: easy
Saturday 29 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Minuet by John Ranish

 from Flute Sonata in D minor

This Minuet in D major is the fourth and final movement of Sonata No. 9 in D minor from John Ranish's XII Solos for the German Flute, Op. 2, first published in London in 1744.

Categories: Baroque Minuets Sonatas Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Sunday 30 June 2013

Tune of the Day: Minuet in G major by Fernando Sor

 Arranged for three flutes

This is the first of twelve minuets written by Spanish classical guitarist and composer Fernando Sor as part of his Deux Thèmes variés et 12 Menuets.

Thanks to Luis for contributing this arrangement!

Categories: Classical Minuets Difficulty: intermediate