Tuesday 1 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Fiddlers' Heaven

 Traditional Irish jig

The earliest known appearance of this popular jig is in Francis O'Neill's celebrated collection Music of Ireland, published in Chicago in 1903.

Categories: Jigs Traditional/Folk Difficulty: easy
Wednesday 2 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Polonaise by Tromlitz

 from Flute Partita in F major

This polonaise is the last movement of Partita No. 3 in F major for solo flute by German flutist and composer Johann Georg Tromlitz, which was first published in Leipzig as part of his Sechs Partiten für Querflöte solo.

Categories: Classical Polonaises Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Thursday 3 February 2022

Tune of the Day: To Greece We Give Our Shining Blades

 arranged for three flutes

In 1826, at the height of the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire, Irish poet Thomas Moore composed the series of poems “Evenings in Greece”, set on the island of Zea (also known as Kea or Keos). Shortly thereafter, his emblematic poem “The sky is bright – To Greece we give our shining blades” was set to music by English composer Henry Bishop.

The sky is bright, the breeze is fair,
And the mainsail flowing full and free;
Our parting word is woman's pray'r,
And the hope before us, Liberty!
Farewell, farewell.
To Greece we give our shining blades,
And our hearts to you, young Zian maids!

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

Categories: Patriotic Difficulty: easy
Friday 4 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Study in D-sharp minor by Fürstenau

 from “26 Exercises”

Today we propose the fourteenth study from 26 Übungen (26 Exercises) by German flutist and composer Anton Bernhard Fürstenau, first published in 1835.

Categories: Etudes Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Saturday 5 February 2022

Tune of the Day: A Night at the Fair

 Traditional Irish jig

The earliest appearance of this jig is in Ryan's Mammoth Collection, published in Boston in 1883, in which the tune is attributed to a “H. Carey”.

Categories: Jigs Traditional/Folk Difficulty: easy
Sunday 6 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Caprice by Stamitz

 from “8 Caprices”

This rondeau is the sixth of 8 Caprices for solo flute by German violinist and composer Anton Stamitz, composed around the 1780s.

Categories: Classical Rondos Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Monday 7 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Duet in E-flat major by Tulou

 from “Méthode de flûte”

This lovely 3/8-time duet for two flutes is taken from the celebrated Méthode de flûte by French flutist Jean-Louis Tulou, published in Paris in 1835.

Categories: Etudes Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Tuesday 8 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Study in E minor by Andersen

 from “24 Etudes for Flute”

This is the first version of the fourth piece from the first etude book written by Danish flutist and composer Joachim Andersen, his 24 grosse Etüden für Flöte, Op. 15, first published in Hamburg in 1885.

Categories: Etudes Romantic Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Wednesday 9 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Darby the Driver

 Traditional Irish/Scottish jig

This popular Irish jig actually has Scottish origins, being derived from a composition titled “Mr. Charles Graham's Welcome Home” by William Gow (1751–1791). William was the eldest son of Niel Gow, the most famous Scottish fiddler of the 18th century.

Categories: Jigs Traditional/Folk Difficulty: easy
Thursday 10 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Allegro moderato

 from Flute Partita in A major

Today we present the opening movement of Partita No. 4 in A major for solo flute by German flutist and composer Johann Georg Tromlitz, which was first published in Leipzig as part of his Sechs Partiten für Querflöte solo.

Categories: Classical Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Friday 11 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Andante by Haydn

 from Symphony No. 53, arranged for three flutes

This arrangement for three flutes of the main theme from the second movement of Haydn's Symphony No. 53 in D major, also known as “L'Impériale”, is taken from Blake's Young Flutist's Magazine, published in Philadelphia in 1833.

Categories: Classical Symphonies Difficulty: easy
Saturday 12 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Study in F major by Fürstenau

 from “26 Exercises”

Today we propose the fifteenth study from 26 Übungen (26 Exercises) by German flutist and composer Anton Bernhard Fürstenau, first published in 1835.

Categories: Etudes Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Sunday 13 February 2022

Tune of the Day: John White's Mother

 Traditional Irish jig

The earliest known appearance of this jig in print is in Francis O'Neill's celebrated collection Music of Ireland, published in Chicago in 1903.

Categories: Jigs Traditional/Folk Difficulty: easy
Monday 14 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Caprice by Stamitz

 from “8 Caprices”

This “Allegro spiritoso” is the seventh of 8 Caprices for solo flute by German violinist and composer Anton Stamitz, composed around the 1780s.

Categories: Classical Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Tuesday 15 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Duet in D-flat major by Tulou

 from “Méthode de flûte”

This “Allegro maestoso” for two flutes is taken from the celebrated Méthode de flûte by French flutist Jean-Louis Tulou, published in Paris in 1835.

Categories: Etudes Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Wednesday 16 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Study in E minor by Andersen

 from “24 Etudes for Flute”

This is the second version of the fourth piece from the first etude book written by Danish flutist and composer Joachim Andersen, his 24 grosse Etüden für Flöte, Op. 15, first published in Hamburg in 1885.

Categories: Etudes Romantic Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Thursday 17 February 2022

Tune of the Day: The Humors of Tralibane

 Traditional Irish jig

The earliest appearance of this jig is in Francis O'Neill's celebrated collection Music of Ireland, published in Chicago in 1903. Tralibane (or Trawlebane), located in western County Cork, was O'Neill's homeplace. The local community has since erected a bronze flute-playing statue in his likeness, to honor the “foremost collector of Irish music of his time”.

Categories: Jigs Traditional/Folk Difficulty: easy
Friday 18 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Grazioso by Tromlitz

 from Flute Partita in A major

This is the second movement of Partita No. 4 in A major for solo flute by German flutist and composer Johann Georg Tromlitz, which was first published in Leipzig as part of his Sechs Partiten für Querflöte solo.

Categories: Classical Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Saturday 19 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Oh! Thou Wert Born to Please Me

 arranged for two flutes

This piece is taken from Blake's Young Flutist's Magazine, published in Philadelphia in 1833. It is based on a vocal duet written for the masque Comus, which in turn was adapted from Martini's air “Pace, cara mia sposa”.

Categories: Classical Difficulty: intermediate
Sunday 20 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Study in D minor by Fürstenau

 from “26 Exercises”

Today we propose the sixteenth study from 26 Übungen (26 Exercises) by German flutist and composer Anton Bernhard Fürstenau, first published in 1835.

Categories: Etudes Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Monday 21 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Connie the Soldier

 Traditional Irish jig

The earliest appearance of the title “Connie the Soldier” is in Francis O'Neill's celebrated collection Music of Ireland, published in Chicago in 1903. However, very similar tunes had already appeared, under the titles “Banish Misfortune” and “The Bacagh of the Wattle”, in Robert Petrie's Ancient Music of Ireland (Dublin, 1882).

Categories: Jigs Traditional/Folk Difficulty: easy
Tuesday 22 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Caprice by Stamitz

 from “8 Caprices”

This allemande is the last of 8 Caprices for solo flute by German violinist and composer Anton Stamitz, composed around the 1780s.

Categories: Allemandes Classical Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Wednesday 23 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Duet in A-flat major by Tulou

 from “Méthode de flûte”

This Andante for two flutes is taken from the celebrated Méthode de flûte by French flutist Jean-Louis Tulou, published in Paris in 1835.

Categories: Etudes Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Thursday 24 February 2022

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

 from “24 Etudes for Flute”

This is the eighth piece from the first etude book written by Danish flutist and composer Joachim Andersen, his 24 grosse Etüden für Flöte, Op. 15, first published in Hamburg in 1885.

Categories: Etudes Romantic Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Friday 25 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Out on the Ocean

 Traditional Irish jig

The earliest appearance of the title “Out in the Ocean” is in Francis O'Neill's celebrated collection Music of Ireland, published in Chicago in 1903. However, similar melodies were collected by George Petrie and James Goodman in the mid-19th century, under the titles “The Bucks of Ahasnagh” and “The Tithes are All Down” respectively. “Out on the Ocean” has also been identified by some as one of many variants of the Lowland Scots tune “Rock and a Wee Pickle Tow”, originally a women's spinning song.

Categories: Jigs Traditional/Folk Difficulty: intermediate
Saturday 26 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Sonatinine by Paul Merkus

 for flute and piano

Today's piece was kindly contributed to our collection by guest composer Paul Merkus.

This “Sonatinine” for flute and piano is based on a piece for piano solo of the same name, written for my daughter, who was 11 years old at the time. I had promised to compose a piano piece for her, but I found it difficult to determine what she would be able to play then, after having had piano lessons for only a few years. But when she was studying a typical “sonatina” by Muzio Clementi, I knew what to make. The result is a piece that is even smaller than a sonatina, hence the name “Sonatinine”. Later, I rearranged this piano piece for flute and piano.

The second part of this “Sonatinine” has been previously published as “Romance”.

Categories: Contemporary Difficulty: easy
Sunday 27 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Duet in G major by Granom

 from “24 Duets”

This duet is the opening piece from XXIV Duets for two German Flutes, Adapted to the Capacity of all Degrees of Performers, composed by English flutist Lewis Granom and first published in London in 1747.

Categories: Baroque Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate
Monday 28 February 2022

Tune of the Day: Study in B-flat major by Fürstenau

 from “26 Exercises”

Today we propose the seventeenth study from 26 Übungen (26 Exercises) by German flutist and composer Anton Bernhard Fürstenau, first published in 1835.

Categories: Etudes Written for Flute Difficulty: intermediate