Tuesday 1 September 2026
Traditional Scottish/Irish slip jig
This tune dates back to at least 1698, when it was published as “Mad Moll” (the title of a 1611 comic play by Thomas Middleton, featuring the heroine Moll Cutpurse) in Playford's Dancing Master. Professor R.D. Cannon, in his article “English Bagpipe Music” (Folk Music Journal, 1972), suggests the progenitor of this large tune family is the Scottish jig “Up with Aley”.
The melody is better known in Scotland under the name “Brose and Butter”, with brose being an uncooked form of porridge obtained by mixing oatmeal with boiling water, milk, or stock. According to Robert Ford (Song Histories, 1900) “Brose and Butter” was a favorite air of Charles II of England during his exile.
Wednesday 2 September 2026
from Concerto No. 3 “Il Gardellino” by Antonio Vivaldi
Published in 1728, Antonio Vivaldi's set of six Concertos for flute was not only the first collection of flute concertos published in Italy, it was nearly the first set of flute concertos ever published. Among these concertos, the most famous is arguably the one nicknamed “Il Gardellino” (or “Il Cardellino”), Op. 10 No. 3, a piece of program music that describes the singing of the goldfinch. The flute imitates the bird's singing, competing with the accompaniment in a series of rapid figurations. The opening Allegro, in particular, is as light and evanescent as the opening of “Spring” from The Four Seasons.
Thursday 3 September 2026
from Flute Duet No. 1 in G major
This is the opening Allegro of a Flute Duet in G major that the famous German flutist and composer Johann Joachim Quantz composed in 1759.
Thanks to Deb for suggesting this piece!
Friday 4 September 2026
from “32 Etudes amusantes et instructives”
This is the eighth study from German flutist and composer Caspar Kummer's 32 Etudes amusantes et instructives, Op. 129, first published in 1858.
Saturday 5 September 2026
Traditional Irish slip jig
This is a common slip jig at modern Irish music sessions, after it was popularized by the Boys of the Lough in the 1970s. The earliest appearance of the tune in print is found in Ryan's Mammoth Collection, published in Boston in 1883.