Selected Duets For Flute Podcast

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 50 Number 4, Air, performed by David Summer. This "Air", by GF Handel is a good duet to use when studying the "eighth-quarter-eighth" rhythm pattern. When the student can confidently alternate between this pattern and four eight notes, they likely have a good grasp of this syncopation. Both sections of the duet start with staccato markings. The editor really should have added some marking to indicate that the staccato articulation should continue, as I've assumed in this performance. The metronome setting for this performance is quarter note = 100.

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 49 Number 3, Duett, performed by David Summer. "Duett" is German for "Duet" reflecting the fact that the composer of this duet, Johann Adolph Hasse, was a German composer, singer and music teacher. Although primarily known for his operatic works, Hasse wrote many flute pieces for Frederick the Great (Frederick II of Prussia), himself an enthusiastic flutist who composed sonatas for flute as well. The metronome setting for this performance is quarter note = 80.

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 48 Number 2, Allemande, performed by David Summer. An Allemande is usually part of a musical suite. A suite is a group of dances, particularly popular in the baroque period. The Allemande is usually the first or second movement of a suite. Henry Purcell, the composer of this duet, was an English Baroque composer. He composed music for a wide range of ensembles and, like many of his contemporaries, was a church organist and music director, most notably for London's Westminster Abbey. Some of Purcell's pieces have become standard repertoire for trumpet players and brass ensembles. These include "Te Deum and Jubilate" written for Saint Cecilia's Day and a piece simply entitled "Trumpet Tune" that is popular as a wedding recessional. Purcell's "Music for Queen Mary" is also a staple for brass ensembles and has had the (perhaps dubious) honor of being part of the soundtrack to the film "A Clockwork Orange". Benjamin Britten based his "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 47 Number 1, Allegro, performed by David Summer. This pretty duet is by the baroque composer Georg Philipp Telemann. Telemann was an extremely prolific composer who wrote many excellent works for the flute, including a beautiful series of duets and a number of flute sonatas. The Guinness Book of World Records credits Telemann as being the most prolific composer of all time. Largely self-taught, Telemann was a highly regarded composer during his lifetime, even more so than his contemporary, JS Bach. Telemann's "Flute Sonata in F major" is a favorite of mine. It's a bright, happy sounding piece that I often use in performance. I sometimes use selections from Telemann's "Suite in a minor" in performance as well. Only the first repeat is taken in this performance and the metronome setting is quarter note = 92.

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 42 Number 2, Tempo di Marcia, performed by David Summer. The tempo marking "Tempo di Marcia" translates to "March Tempo". This is a stately duet; full of staccato dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythms. Even without the staccato markings, these dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythms, in a march like this, are usually interpreted with a good-sized silent space after the dotted eighth note. At times, the flute 2 part takes the melody. This duet would be appropriate for a two flute processional performance. Perhaps at a wedding or graduation, for example where 2 flutes are playing alone. The metronome setting for this performance is quarter note = 96.

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 43 Number 1, Andante grazioso, performed by David Summer. The tempo marking "Andante grazioso" translates to "at a walking pace but gracefully". I interpret this to mean, "with a flowing style. Smooth, but keep it moving". Also, notice the "dolce" expression marking, again meaning "sweetly". This duet begins in the key of a minor, then goes to A major and back to a minor on the Da Capo. We've seen this parallel minor key relationship in previous duets, and it's used quite often in baroque, classical and romantic music. The same key relationship is also used in some popular music. It's used in popular show tunes such as "I Love Paris" and "My Heart Belongs to Daddy". The composer of this duet, Benoit Tranquil Berbiguier, studied at the Paris conservatory in the early 1800s. He's probably best known now to flutists for his "Eighteen Exercises or Etudes". The complete version of the duets excerpted here are available in Berbiguier's "Six Duets, Op. 59". The metro

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 38 Number 4, movement 1 Allo Moderato, performed by David Summer. This is a pretty piece, in 3/4 time. Several times the word "dolce" is used as an expression marking. Dolce translates to the English word "sweet" and generally indicates a gentle, smooth, singing style. The metronome setting for this performance is quarter note = 108.

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 36 Number 3, performed by David Summer. This longer duet continues the duets of Kaspar Kummer. Besides being a composer, Kummer was an excellent flutist and teacher. Among his pupils was composer Friedrich Kiel. Kiel composed mostly chamber music, including several piano quartets. He also passed on his knowledge of composition to several students including the Irish composer Charles Villiers Stanford and English composer Frederic Hymen Cowen. The metronome setting for this performance is quarter note = 108.

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 35 Number 2, performed by David Summer. This is the second of the two Kummer duets from his Opus 20. The tempo marking is poco adagio, which translates to "a little slow". In relative terms it's not quite as slow as an adagio marking would be. This duet offers the teacher a good opportunity to introduce the gruppetto. The gruppetto (translation "little group") is an ornamentation that adds a certain gracefulness to the music. It's indicated in the printed music by what looks like a sideways 'S'. A gruppetto is played by starting on the printed note, moving up one note, then back to the printed note, then down one note and finally back to the printed note again. An example of the interpretation is at the bottom of the duet on page 35. The metronome setting for this performance is quarter note = 76.

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 34 Number 1, performed by David Summer. This section of the Selected Duets book contains four duets by Kummer. Kaspar Kummer (1795-1870) wrote many pieces for woodwinds, including several chamber pieces for flute. This piece is a very pretty and understated duet. The tempo marking "Andante con moto" translates to "at a walking pace with motion". I interpret that to mean "not too fast, but keep moving". This duet presents a good opportunity for the teacher to talk about legato playing, since much of the duet is in a legato style. The repeat is omitted, and the metronome setting for this performance is quarter note = 88.

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 33 Number 4, performed by David Summer. The title of this duet, "Contrefeseur" translates into English as "the imitator" or "the mimic". As with the first duet in this section of the book, Le Tourbillon, this duet lives up to its name. The flute 2 part imitates the flute 1 line at the beginning of both sections of the duet and again in the last line. This imitation, at a lively pace, can prove challenging for a student. The metronome setting for this performance is dotted quarter note = 69.

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 33 Number 3, performed by David Summer. The title of this duet, "Le Sauteur" translates into English as "the jumper". It's another lively duet in 6/8 time. The metronome setting for this performance is dotted quarter note = 66.

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 32 Number 2, performed by David Summer. The title of this duet, "Le Chasseur" translates into English as "the hunter". There is a famous cookware company named "Le Chasseur" as well as a movie with Steve McQueen called "Le Mans Le Chasseur", that features an interesting score by composer Michel Legrand. Like earlier duets in this book, this duet is in 6/8 time at a fast tempo, played "in 2". It seems, from the title, that the duet is meant to invoke images of a hunt. The metronome setting for this performance is dotted quarter note = 66.

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 32 Number 1, performed by David Summer. The title of this duet, "Le Tourbillon" translates into English as "the top" or "the whirlwind". This duet lives up to its name by congering up the image of a whirlwind. "The Tourbillon" is also the title of a Mickey Mouse cartoon produced by Walt Disney for RKO Radio Pictures, and released on 14 February 1941. In it, Mickey is attempting to rake some leaves when a mini tomato begins to thwart his efforts. I've found that students are often challenged by having to move back and forth between the 16th notes and the 8th notes in the top line of this duet. This is a good duet to use to reinforce the idea of subdividing the beat. It's also a good one to assign the student both lines of the duet since the second line presents the same type of rhythmic challenge, adding quarter notes to the mix. The composer of the duets in this section of the book, Jacques Aubert, was a French composer and violinist writing in the first half of the

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 31 Number 9, performed by David Summer. These 2 minuets have the same key relationship as the two duets on page 28, the first one is in the key of C and the second in c minor. (Although, again the key signature of the second duet doesn't accurately portray the key of c minor). They are also a bit more fluid in style than the previous pairs. With these two minuets, we come to the end of the section of the book devoted to the duets of Boismortier. As previously mentioned this composer was very prolific and wrote pieces that were commercial for his time. He wrote several flute sonatas and one of his most interesting works is "Six Concertos for Five Flutes". A recording of these concertos and more of his compositions for flute can be found on Amazon.com. There are no repeats taken in this performance, but again the DC to the first minuet is taken, and the metronome setting is quarter note = 120.

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 30 Number 8, performed by David Summer. Like the previous duets entitled "Menuet" this is a spelling variation on the word "Minuet". These two minuets are both in the key of C, the second one does not change key to the parallel minor, as the previous pair of minuets did. The prolific Boismortier, the composer of all the duets in this section of the Selected Duets book, wrote often for the flute. He even wrote a flute method book that unfortunately is now lost. There are no repeats taken in this performance, but again the DC to the first minuet is taken, and the metronome setting is quarter note = 120.

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 29 Number 6, performed by David Summer. This duet, Rustic Dance is in 2/2, which is also known as "cut time" or "alla breve". Cut time usually implies a fast tempo. It's often used in marches. It's also often used in show tunes, especially during dance sections. The duet lives up to its name by effectively invoking images of a rustic dance. The metronome setting for this performance is quarter note = 84.

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 28 Number 5, performed by David Summer. Like the previous duet entitled, "Menuet" this is a spelling variation on the word "Minuet". These 2 minuets have a key relationship, in that the first one is in the key of C and the second in c minor. C minor is the parallel minor to C major. (Note that the key signature of the second duet doesn't accurately portray this relationship, but it is in fact in c minor). There is a segue marking at the end of the first section of the second minuet. This use of segue means to continue without a pause. It is there to indicate to the performer that there is more of the duet on the next page. You will often see a segue marking for a page turn when the page must be turned quickly. They are often seen in instrumental parts for musicals, for example. There are no repeats taken in this performance, but the DC to the first minuet is taken, and the metronome setting is quarter note = 120.

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 28 Number 4, performed by David Summer. This Sarabande is in the style of a Sarabande from the baroque period. That is, it is a slow piece in 3. The baroque sarabande was one movement of a suite, usually coming directly after the courante. A sarabande by GF Handel, in a similar style to this duet, was featured in the soundtrack to the picturesque Stanley Kubrick movie "Barry Lyndon" (1975). The metronome setting for this performance is quarter note = 72.

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 27 Number 3, performed by David Summer. This gigue is in the same style as the previous two duets. The "question and answer" sections in the last part of the duet often present a rhythmic challenge for a student. The teacher needs to emphasize counting the 3 beats that make up the dotted quarter note plus the 2 that make up the tied quarter note in the next measure. The metronome setting for this performance is dotted quarter note = 80.