Friday 1 February 2019

Tune of the Day: Jerry O'Reilly's Reel

 Traditional Irish reel

This traditional Irish reel was published in Chicago police officer Francis O'Neill's collection Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody, published in 1922. The source for this tune was a Jeremiah O'Reilly from San Francisco, California.

Categories: Celtic Music Reels Traditional/Folk Difficulty: easy
Saturday 2 February 2019

Tune of the Day: Corrente by Boismortier

 from Flute Sonata No. 2 in E minor

This corrente is the second movement of the second sonata from Sonates pour la flûte traversière avec la basse, Op. 19 by the prolific French Baroque composer Joseph Bodin de Boismortier. These sonatas were originally published in Paris in 1727.

Categories: Baroque Courantes Sonatas Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Sunday 3 February 2019

Tune of the Day: German Dance No. 1 by Mozart

 from “Three German Dances”, arranged for flute trio

Today we propose an arrangement for flute trio of the first of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Three German Dances, K. 605, composed in 1791.

Thanks to Leighton for suggesting this piece!

Categories: Classical Dance tunes Difficulty: intermediate
Monday 4 February 2019

Tune of the Day: Study in F minor by Hugues

 from “40 Esercizi per Flauto”

Today's piece is the thirty-eighth study from 40 Esercizi per Flauto (40 Exercises for Flute), Op. 101, by Italian flutist, composer and arranger Luigi Hugues.

Categories: Etudes Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Tuesday 5 February 2019

Tune of the Day: The Goroum

 Traditional Irish reel

The origins of this reel date back to the 18th century. It has appeared in many collections, and is known under a number of different titles, including “Comely Jane Downing”, “Haul Away the Hawser”, “Larry Bourn”, “Lord Summer's Reel”.

Categories: Celtic Music Reels Traditional/Folk Difficulty: easy
Wednesday 6 February 2019

Tune of the Day: Double by J.S. Bach

 from Violin partita in B minor

Johann Sebastian Bach composed the Partita No. 1 in B minor for solo violin, BWV 1002, in 1720. What we present today is a transcription for solo flute of the second movement of this Partita, a double that elaborates on the preceding allemanda. In order to fit the range of the flute, the piece has been transposed from B minor to E minor.

Categories: Baroque Difficulty: intermediate
Thursday 7 February 2019

Tune of the Day: The New Vienna Waltz

 for three flutes

This waltz for three flutes is taken from Blake's Young Flutist's Magazine, published in Philadelphia in 1833. The origins of the piece are unfortunately unknown, but it is clearly unrelated to the waltz of the same name (Neu Wien in German) by Johann Strauss II, which was only written in 1870.

Categories: Waltzes Difficulty: intermediate
Friday 8 February 2019

Tune of the Day: Study in E minor by Romanino

 from “20 Studi progressivi e dilettevoli”

This study, designed to develop perfect evenness when playing chromatic scales, is the fourth piece from 20 Studi progressivi e dilettevoli per il Flauto (“20 progressive and delightful studies for the flute”) by Italian flutist Camillo Romanino.

Categories: Etudes Romantic Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Saturday 9 February 2019

Tune of the Day: I'll Go No More To Yon Town

 Traditional Scottish reel

Tune collector Francis O'Neill remarks:

Popular since its first publication in Bremner's Collection of Scots Reels or Country Dances (1767), “I'll gae nae mair to yon town” has been a fruitful source of variants which circulated under various titles.

Categories: Celtic Music Reels Traditional/Folk Difficulty: easy
Sunday 10 February 2019

Tune of the Day: Fantasia in D major by Quantz

 for solo flute

This Fantasia in D major is one of 24 pieces attributed to the famous German flutist and composer Johann Joachim Quantz to have survived in a manuscript titled Fantasier og Preludier. 8. Capricier og andre Stykker til Øvelse for Flöÿten af Quanz (“Fantasies and Preludes. 8 Caprices and other Pieces for Exercise for the Flute by Quantz”). This manuscript has been kept in the Giedde Collection (named after its founder, Danish composer W.H.R.R. Giedde) in the Royal Library of Copenhagen, which hosts a fairly comprehensive collection of flute music from the second half of the 18th century.

Categories: Baroque Written for Flute Difficulty: advanced
Monday 11 February 2019

Tune of the Day: Plainte by Montéclair

 for two flutes

This plainte (a French term indicating a slow composition with a lamenting character) constitutes the seventh movement of the first of six Concerts à deux Flutes Traversières sans Basse by the French Baroque composer Michel Pignolet de Montéclair. Here the French word concert is a synonym of “suite”, and has nothing to do with the Italian concerto.

Categories: Baroque Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Tuesday 12 February 2019

Tune of the Day: Study in D-flat major by Hugues

 from “40 Esercizi per Flauto”

Today's piece is the thirty-ninth study from 40 Esercizi per Flauto (40 Exercises for Flute), Op. 101, by Italian flutist, composer and arranger Luigi Hugues.

Categories: Etudes Romantic Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Wednesday 13 February 2019

Tune of the Day: The Battle of the Somme

 Scottish retreat march

This pipe tune, a 9/8-time retreat march composed by Pipe Major William Lawrie (also spelled “Laurie”), commemorates one of the greatest and most terrible battles of World War I, which was fought for 140 days between July and November 1916. Lawrie fought in this horrendous battle as Pipe Major of the 8th Battalion, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders. He died shortly afterwards from illness and injuries sustained in the trenches, but lived just long enough to see his tune meet immediate success.

In spite of its name, the retreat march is not necessarily a tune which would be marched to; often times it would be played as part of the evening ritual in military camps as day duties give way to night ones. It is not linked to the military maneuver of retreating from a battle, but rather to the idea of refuge and safety in the camp.

Thanks to Phil for suggesting this tune!

Categories: Marches Military music Difficulty: easy
Thursday 14 February 2019

Tune of the Day: Gavotta by Boismortier

 from Flute Sonata No. 2 in E minor

This gavotte is the third movement of the second sonata from Sonates pour la flûte traversière avec la basse, Op. 19 by the prolific French Baroque composer Joseph Bodin de Boismortier. These sonatas were originally published in Paris in 1727.

Categories: Baroque Gavottes Sonatas Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Friday 15 February 2019

Tune of the Day: Duet in F major by Devienne

 from “Nouvelle Méthode pour la flûte”

This short duet is taken from the Nouvelle Méthode théorique et pratique pour la flûte by the French flutist and composer François Devienne.

Categories: Classical Written for Flute Difficulty: easy
Saturday 16 February 2019

Tune of the Day: Study in C major by Terschak

 from “Exercices journaliers”

Today we propose the very first piece from Exercices journaliers pour la flûte (or Tägliche Studien in German, i.e. “Daily Exercises”) by Austro-Hungarian composer Adolf Terschak. It was first published in 1867.

Categories: Etudes Romantic Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Sunday 17 February 2019

Tune of the Day: Miss Singleton's Reel

 Traditional Irish reel

The earliest appearance of this tune in print is in Francis O'Neill's Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody, published in 1922. The reported source for this melody is one of O'Neill's collaborators, Chicago Police Sergeant James O'Neill, originally from County Down, Ireland.

Categories: Reels Traditional/Folk Difficulty: easy
Monday 18 February 2019

Tune of the Day: Corrente by J.S. Bach

 from Violin partita in B minor

Johann Sebastian Bach composed the Partita No. 1 in B minor for solo violin, BWV 1002, in 1720. What we present today is a transcription for solo flute of the third movement (or second movement, depending on whether you count the doubles as separate movements) of this Partita, the corrente. In order to fit the range of the flute, the piece has been transposed from B minor to E minor.

Categories: Baroque Courantes Difficulty: intermediate
Tuesday 19 February 2019

Tune of the Day: German Dance No. 2 by Mozart

 from “Three German Dances”, arranged for flute trio

Today we propose an arrangement for flute trio of the second of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Three German Dances, K. 605, composed in 1791.

Thanks to Leighton for suggesting this piece!

Categories: Classical Dance tunes Difficulty: intermediate
Wednesday 20 February 2019

Tune of the Day: Study in B-flat minor by Hugues

 from “40 Esercizi per Flauto”

This is the last study from 40 Esercizi per Flauto (40 Exercises for Flute), Op. 101, by Italian flutist, composer and arranger Luigi Hugues.

Categories: Etudes Romantic Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Thursday 21 February 2019

Tune of the Day: The Lady's Earring

 Traditional Irish reel

The earliest appearance of this tune in print is in Francis O'Neill's Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody, published in 1922. The reported source for this melody is one of O'Neill's collaborators, Chicago Police Sergeant James O'Neill, originally from County Down, Ireland.

Categories: Reels Traditional/Folk Difficulty: easy
Friday 22 February 2019

Tune of the Day: Presto in B minor by Quantz

 for solo flute

This Presto in B minor is one of 24 pieces attributed to the famous German flutist and composer Johann Joachim Quantz to have survived in a manuscript titled Fantasier og Preludier. 8. Capricier og andre Stykker til Øvelse for Flöÿten af Quanz (“Fantasies and Preludes. 8 Caprices and other Pieces for Exercise for the Flute by Quantz”). This manuscript has been kept in the Giedde Collection (named after its founder, Danish composer W.H.R.R. Giedde) in the Royal Library of Copenhagen, which hosts a fairly comprehensive collection of flute music from the second half of the 18th century.

Categories: Baroque Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Saturday 23 February 2019

Tune of the Day: Bluebird Variation

 from Tchaikovsky's “The Sleeping Beauty”

This birdsong-like piece is taken from Act III of Tchaikovsky's famous 1890 ballet The Sleeping Beauty. It is, without a doubt, one of the most charming and well-known numbers in classical ballet.

The main protagonists of this Andantino are two flutes, which in the original score are supported by a clarinet and pizzicato strings. What we propose today is the two unaltered flute parts; as it turns out, they make a very nice flute duet, even without accompaniment.

Thanks to Lucia for suggesting this piece!

Categories: Ballet excerpts Romantic Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Sunday 24 February 2019

Tune of the Day: Study in A minor by Terschak

 from “Exercices journaliers”

Today we propose the second piece from Exercices journaliers pour la flûte (or Tägliche Studien in German, i.e. “Daily Exercises”) by Austro-Hungarian composer Adolf Terschak. It was first published in 1867.

Categories: Etudes Romantic Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Monday 25 February 2019

Tune of the Day: The Game Of Love

 Traditional Irish reel

The earliest known appearance of this tune in print is in Francis O'Neill's Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody, published in 1922. The reported source for this melody is one of O'Neill's collaborators, Chicago Police Sergeant James O'Neill, originally from County Down, Ireland.

Categories: Reels Traditional/Folk Difficulty: easy
Tuesday 26 February 2019

Tune of the Day: Largo by Boismortier

 from Flute Sonata No. 2 in E minor

This Largo is the fourth movement of the second sonata from Sonates pour la flûte traversière avec la basse, Op. 19 by the prolific French Baroque composer Joseph Bodin de Boismortier. These sonatas were originally published in Paris in 1727.

Categories: Baroque Sonatas Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Wednesday 27 February 2019

Tune of the Day: March in the Cataract of the Ganges

 arranged for three flutes

The renowned Philadelphia musician Francis Johnson composed this march for Joseph Cowell's 1824 revival of the melodrama The Cataract of the Ganges, or the Rajah's Daughter. A virtuoso of the keyed bugle and the violin, Johnson is remembered as the first African American to give public concerts, and as the first African American composer to have his works published as sheet music.

The present arrangement for three flutes appeared in Blake's Young Flutist's Magazine, published in Philadelphia in 1833.

Categories: Marches Difficulty: easy
Thursday 28 February 2019

Tune of the Day: Study in C major by Prill

 from “24 Technical Studies”

This is the very first piece from 24 Technische Studien für Flöte (24 Technical Studies), Op. 11, by German flutist Emil Prill. It was first published in Leipzig in 1911.

Categories: Etudes Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate