Jen Cluff's Favourite Flute Repertoire

Most of the pieces chosen are above the 'B' level. For more easy pieces (flute grades 1-5) check my music list for beginners here,or adult beginner books here, or have fun looking through the online catalogue at UK sheet music company Just Flutes sheet music . 'Just Flutes' stocks a large number of easy-level sheet music books, books with CD accompaniment, and selections often not found in North America that range from jazzy and ethnic to classical and modern, cool sounding flute solos. Also see All Flutes Plus. The U.K. grading methods (similar to Canadian Conservatory system grade 1 to 10) make it easy to find your level. You can then use the title and publisher (and description of book) to order locally.

An *asterisk on the titles below denotes that the piece is found on CD Sheet Music by Theodore Presser. For more on CD sheet music see the *note at document end and also check out: http://www.cdsheetmusic.com/ For "The Ultimate Flute Collection" on two CD-roms:

1. Flute Solos & 2. Flute Methods/Ensembles by Theodore Presser. See INDEX of these CD-roms: Solos ~ Methods/Ensembles.

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Baroque Era:

CPE Bach ~ Sonata in A minor [C]
Three mvmts. each full of passion and colour. You can play this unaccompanied work for years and never get tired of finding new dramatic and emotive possibilities.

J.S. Bach ~ Six Sonatas for Flute* [B/C/D]
Some of these sonatas have mvmts. that can be performed by the novice, but they are so deep with complex ideas that you can continue playing them beyond University level, and still find more and more interest in them. I enjoy playing along with James Galway's CD of J.S. Bach's Sonatas.

Marais ~ Les Folies d'Espagne* [B/C]
Written in 1701 for either unaccompanied flute or viol, this theme and all its variations are magical. The easier mvmts. can be played by any young player, but they become more and more virtuostic and complex. They are particularly fun to play antiphonally between two flutists on either side of any echoey church. Each one is like a different character in a play or series of tableaus.

Pergolesi ~ Concerto in G Major [C]
One of the happiest and most refreshing of the Baroque concerti. It's pure sunlight and joy and will cheer you up on the most dark and rainy day.

Quantz ~ Concerto in G minor [C]
Most flutists know the G Major Concerto, but have you tried the G minor? It's full of ideas, and wonderful chords created by flute arpeggios, rapid and startlingly beautiful.

Telemann ~ 12 Fantasias [B]
A standard work that I grew up with, listening to old LPs of Jean Pierre Rampal who just made them ring out and come alive. Unaccompanied and full of simple dances, and dramatic preludes. Very fun.

Vivaldi ~ Concerto in C for Piccolo (Fl. Vln. No. 4 International) [C/D]
A captivating and heart breaking slow mvmt. and two virtuostic fast mvmts. Great for a piccolo audition.
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Collections of Baroque music for flute:

Flute Music of the Baroque- ed. Louis Moyse- Publisher; Schirmer [B/C]
There are enough tunes and excerpts from Baroque Concerti to play an entire gig out of this one book. The best tunes are by G. Tartini (gorgeous and happy like the Pergolesi Concerto above) and by Vivaldi with his famous "Goldfinch" Concerto. A lot of fun.

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Classical Era:

Mozart ~ The Early Sonatas K. 12-13-14 etc.* [B]
These were possibly written when Mozart was about 13 years old and contain all sorts of jokes and tricks (you can almost hear him giggling.) They're fine for adding lightness to a recital programme.

Mozart ~ The Flute Quartets [C]
Easier than the Mozart Concerti in D and G Major, these works for flute and string quartet are interesting and demanding. I love to play along with Emmanuel Pahud's CD.

Mozart ~ Flute and Harp Concerto in C Major [C]
Delicious. A slow mvmt. that will pull at the heart strings and leave a lasting impression. The first and third mvmts. are pure joy. Fun to play along with Joshua Smith's or Nora Shulman's CD of this work. I enjoy the Reineke Cadenzas* for this concerto (even thought they belong to a different era).
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Collections that include some Classical
and some Romantic/French works:

Album of Sonatinas ~ ed: Louis Moyse- Pub: Schirmer [A/B]
Contains some melodious and progressive classical works for the novice; from Clementi and other keyboard/violin composers. Some very pretty.

Concert and Contest Collection ~ Rubank [B]
Just what the title says. You can always find some piece in this book that is great for a recital, competition or student concert.

36 Repertoire Pieces ~ Fischer Ed. Donald Peck [B to B+]
From Bach's lovely Arioso, to Gluck and Gossec, to Tchaikovsky, plus some other fun pieces that are repertoire standards. Many of these pieces can be found on the CD by Nora Shulman called "Dance of the Blessed Spirits" by Naxos, and played with harp.

My Favourite Encores ~ William Bennett [B/C]
Several of these shorter works are real crowd pleasers, but several have extreme registers and techniques. An interesting and diverse collection.

Selected Flute Solos ~ Amsco publication: Am 40403 [C]
The Mozart Concerto in D including some cadenzas to try, Faure's Fantaisie, Chaminade's Concertino, Doppler's Hungarian Pastorale, and a wealth of other interesting and demanding pieces. If you were only going to buy one book for the last year of high school as a fairly advanced student, this might be an economical purchase for you.

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Romantic and French Composers:

Doppler ~ Hungarian Pastorale Fantasy * [C]
A phantasmagorical extravaganza of Gypsy music. Everyone plays this piece, and if you just play the first and last sections (eliminate middle) it can be shortened to a very effective highschool level charmer.

Doppler ~ Air Valaques op. 10 [C+/D]
Not often performed, and perhaps not as "complete sounding" as the above Doppler, but very fun to practice. Moody and exotic (with an ending that begs rewriting by some brilliant flutist---could be you!!).

Dutilleux ~ Sonatine [D]
Charming, mysterious and engaging, this piece flows through each section to last about 9 minutes in all, including the cadenza which is thrilling. You need a lot of flair for this work and a good sense of rhythm in odd-meters, but it sounds like Ravel with a bit of 1940s jazz thrown in. Fun to play along with Ingela Oen's CD.

Faure ~ Morceau de Concours [B+/C]
One of the simplest and most alluring pieces written for flute. The solo lingers and soars, and tumbles down a waterfall, all the time being emotionally rapt. Lovely.

Gaubert ~ Madrigal [B+]
Like Robin Hood riding through the forest; images of windblown leaves, a storm brewing, very enchanting.

Godard ~ Suite de Trois Morceaux ~ Allegretto* /Idylle* [B/C] Valse [D]
A work comprised of three pieces that also stand alone. My particular favourites are the Idylle and the Valse. Romantic, enchanting, and the Valse is hilarious!!! You'll need some special help with the Valse fingerings if you decide to get it up to speed. Love playing along with William Bennett's CD of this with full orchestra.

Hue ~ Fantaisie [C+/D]
This work begins like a bullfighter in Spain, and then has the most lovely simple love song in the middle, before taking off on what sounds like a spy-movie from the early 1900s (if they made spy movies in France then....which they didn't. :>)
Full of pyrotechnics and brilliant runs, this is always a crowd pleaser.

Massenet ~ Meditation from Thais* [B+/C]
There is nothing more beautiful from the opera and violin type of repertoires than this ultimate in Romantic pieces. Soaring, sobbing and touching. Never a dry eye in the house. If you play along with Galway's CD "Meditations" that includes this work note how he speeds the tempo in order to take breaths in the more artistic places.

Saint-Saens ~ Romance* [C] and Odelette* [D]
Playing along with William Bennett's CD "Celebration" on these two works is a hoot!! The Romance is lovely and evocative and full of low notes, and the Odelette is technically challenging and makes you realize that now you should go back and do a few more scales before continuing to goof off in your practicing. :>)
Simply wonderful writing for the flute.

Ravel ~ Piece en forme de Habanera [B+]
A short, exotic work transcribed for flute, that sounds like the evening has descended on a gypsy camp, and the strange and wonderful are about to happen.
Not difficult, but lots of possible interpretations evolve over the years, as you play and enjoy this three minute piece.

Sancan ~ Sonatine [C+/D]
A fun frolic with an insane carousel ending. The cadenzas are very thrilling and sound just modern enough to begin to emulate jazz. So many possibilities of tone colour and interpretive liscence when the flute plays alone.

Taki ~ Moon Over Ruined Castle [B+]
This haunting Japanese piece is very evocative, and also works well as an Alto flute work when transcribed. It may be out of print, but see if you can locate a copy or request one. Very effective and mysterious; it sounds just like the title depicts.

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Collections of French Flute Music:

French Pieces for Flute and Piano~ Pub: Mel Bay 95295 [B]
Charming, and short romantic works that really bring out the colours the flute can create. Includes Ravel's Pavane, Satie's Gymnopdie, and other well-loved faves.

The French Influence for Flute Book 1 [C] and Book 2 [C/D]
Published by Mel Bay: 98329 & 99305
Perfect for an all french recital with a variety of styles and composers. Some truly great shorter works all in one place.

Flute Music by French Composers ~ Pub. Schirmer [C/D]
In the early 1900s in Paris, the "Concours" pieces, designed to test the skills of graduating flutists were composed by some of the finest flute-minds of the Conservatoire. Each of these pieces begins with a colourful slow mvmt., memorable and dramatic, and then a whirlwind fast mvmt that just spins circles around your ears. So much fun to play them all in order, with Mary Palchak's CD by the same title.
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Modern Era [since 1950 - Tonal]

Malcolm Arnold ~ Concerto for Flute op. 45 [D]
Do you love the slow mvmt. of the Poulenc Sonata, the Cantilena? Well then you'll go wild for the slow mvmt. of op.45 by Arnold. Gorgeous and moody. The first mvmt. is a strong beckoning call, the final mvmt. is absolutely BRILLIANT, speedy and exciting. A real thrill to play. The whole work is quite short, and playing it along with CD (with string orchestra) is terrific fun once you have all the runs up to speed.

Michael Conway Baker ~ Elegy for Flute and Organ [A/B]
A soft, romantic piece, sad and wistful, only one page long and full of emotional possibilities. Very easy to play but well-loved by audiences. Works well with piano instead of organ.

Michael Conway Baker ~ Capriccio [C]
A whirlwind of a piece, totally thrilling, happy and a barn-stormer; expect the audience to go wild with delight. I particularly love the harmonic sequences; they make you want to dance.

Both the above M.C. Baker pieces are available for six week loan at: http://www.musiccentre.ca/

Michael Conway Baker ~ Sonata for Flute and Piano 1975 [C/D]
This is a very interesting work, composed in 1975. It's very folky, and yet a bit "French" as well. There's a stunning, bravura cadenza-like prelude to the rhythmically exciting final mvmt. and a beautiful almost "celtic" slow mvmt. A real audience pleaser, like all of Michael Baker's works.

Samuel Barber ~ Canzone [B+]
Do you love passionate music? This is not only that, it's sultry and low, and powerful.
The flute starts low and climaxes up into the high octave with a cry like a heart-breaking .
Originally from Barber's Piano Concerto, the flute really SAYS something in this short work.

Ernest Bloch ~ Suite Modale [B+/C]
If you love the sound of exotic modes, and a hint of Japanese wild bamboo forests, this is a great piece. Moody and magical, modal and poetical. There's some brilliant flute writing here. I love the Susan Hoeppner CD of this. Opportunity for "bamboo flute" tone qualities, as well as firey rhythms and a celtic sauciness in the third mvmt. There are four mvmts. in all (only the 4th is truly tricky) and mvmts. 1 & 3 work well for a shorter performance.

Eldin Burton ~ Sonatina [D]
This whole piece is great, but I especially love the final mvmt. It's so firey, gypsy-like and spunky, and so devil-may-care. Real excitement and thrill.
(Hint: use trill fingerings in the final mvmt. as you get 'up to speed'.)

Ingolf Dahl ~ Variations on a Swedish Folktune [D]
This set of unaccompanied variations starts with a modest "walking song" style. Each successive variation adds more and more ideas, and offer tremendous opportunities for change of tone colour and mood.
The final mvmt. is the most complex, technically, but has moments of Aaron Copland type writing. Very very interesting to study and play. Unaccompanied.

Ferroud ~ Trois Pieces 1st-2nd mvmts: [B+] 3rd mvmt: [D]
Another unaccompanied piece that is never boring. Based on a frenchman's idea of "Chinois" The first mvmt. is very "French" and enchanting. The second has a simple, driving rhythmic motif that is very catchy; and the much more difficult third mvmt. is full of sparkle and darkness.

Lukas Foss ~ Three American Pieces [C/D]
A real "one-of-a-kind" piece. The tunes are popular sounding, and at times, just a touch of Broadway. This is sure to be an audience-pleaser (although the pianist may have to work quite hard.) The opening is buoyant and good natured. The second mvmt. sounds like jazz sax, and Have fun playing & singing (at the same time; but not hard to do) Both outside mvmts feature thrilling endings in a driving rhythm of high notes. Great to play along with Carol Wincenc's CD of this piece.

Srul Irving Glick ~ Sonata for Flute and Piano [C+/D]
This work is one of my all-time favourites. It's absolutely beautiful! Written by a soul-filled Canadian, it sounds like birdsong in a dripping rainforest canopy, swooping and darting birds in flight, with a triumphal mountain-top view at the end. An enchantment!! I love Susan Hoeppner's CD of this work. Amazing mood this will put you in, when you play along with her CD. available for six week loan at: http://www.musiccentre.ca/ or purchase from: http://www.jaymar.com/

Charles Griffes ~ Poem [C+]
Like "Wuthering Heights" a brooding and mystical piece with lightening-flashes of technique, and a deep poetical feel. Thrilling to play. Lots of tone colours and emotive possibilities. Always a winner with audiences.

Hanson ~ Serenade [D]
A cry from the heart that soars up over and over again to high C----lifting your spirits every time it does so. It ends with a soft and beautiful descent into tranquility, a modern sense of strength and hope, and then, just when you think all is well, it asks a huge, unanswered question of the listener and leaves the question unsettlingly hanging in the air.
Amazing ideas, and nothing else like it in the Flute and Orchestra repertoire.
I adore playing along with Susan Hoeppener's CD of this which also contains other great flute works: CD is entitled: "Serenade" by Susan Hoeppner.

Hamilton Harty ~ In Ireland [C+/D]
A very popular work with both audiences and flutists. A swooping panoramic beginning, lots of fast Irish flair, and some tricky but effective double-tonguing for the flashy ending. Very fun.

Bernhard Heiden ~ Sonatina [B]
Slightly atonal, but very passionate modern statement in three mvmts. Lots of emotion, and yet easy to read and render. A good start for anyone curious about "modern" sounding works for flute.

Honegger ~ Danse de la Chevre [B/C]
An unaccompanied pictoral of a feisty goat doing an insane dance when the winter winds stop howling, up in his mountain-top home. Hilarious. Lots of room for humour and interesting making the sound of the wind at the opening and closing.
The goat's "attitude" is unbeatable!!!

Rhonda Larson ~ Movin' On [D]
Unaccompanied, and meant to be played in a church or hall full of echoes. The chords that the flute makes in this piece are completely uplifting to the spirit. The rhythm is everchanging and yet somehow like a celtic set of dances.
Only three pages long but you've gone on an incredible harmonic flute-journey and ended with elan. Great to use when you're tired of practicing "Taffenal & Gaubert" arpeggios.
Order from www.fluteworld.com

Martinu ~ Sonata [D]
Birdcalls from a sensitive composer. A lovely slow mvmt. and two tricky and well-worth-trying fast mvmts (pianist will also find their part VERY tricky.) But so worth it!!! Martinu has a magic about him. Listen to several recordings and decide for yourself whether you're ready for this flashy and deeply-felt piece. Great!!

Mike Mower ~ Opus di Jazz [D]
For classical flutists who want to pretend to be improvising, Mower wrote this three mvmt. work for Galway, and made it easy for good "readers" to imitate jazz. Very fun, very bluesy! Lots of tone colours and mood changes. I love this work for how bright and clever it is.

Astor Piazzola ~ Histoire du Tango [C+]
The sultry moods of the Tango, from the 1900 Bordellos and Cafes to the Nightclubs of the '60s. This flute and guitar work is captivating, and really develops your colour and rhythm without being hard to read. I adore playing along with Susan Hoeppner's CD by the same title.

Otar Taktakishvili ~ Sonata 1st & 3rd mvmts: [D] 2nd mvmt: [B+]
A composer from behind the Iron Curtain, take a listen to this work, and hear all the characters Taktakishvili has created. We have children playing, soldiers marching through their playground, and the children running away and making fun of them.
In the soaring opening mvmt. there is great panoramic beauty and a heart felt song.
The middle mvmt. which is only a [B] level work sounds like a Broadway musical like "West Side Story" where the young hero is crying out his anguish. Amazing!!
The third mvmt. can be played along as a bravura showpiece or along with 2nd mvmt. for a competition or recital.

Cameron Wilson ~ Celtic Partita [C]
A fun-filled work that combines traditional celtic tunes such as "Drowsy Maggie" (so much fun!!) and one of Bach's most attractive violin partitas. Written for flute and piano the effect is very pleasing, popular with everyone who's ever heard the work, and really uplifting to your spirits. Difficult sections can be cut out, and the piece played in various cut-paste versions for [B] level.

More modern pieces at:

Contemporary & Extended Technique Repertoire Lists

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Fun pieces for playing along with CD:

Jessica Walsh/ Allan Alexander ~
Celtic, Medieval Renaissance, Ancient Airs, Cantigas and Dances, and World Music for Flute and Guitar [A/B]
Even if you don't have a guitarist to work with, you can play along with the wonderful CD that comes with each of these books. The music is unbeatably fabulous, easy-to-play, not to mention moving and yet simple-to-read. Gorgeous duets can be created with the CD playing and one flute player, at home, or with the CD and two or more flute players. See my own list of "create your own duets" from Jessica Walsh flute books by clicking here.

To order Jessica Walsh/Allan Alexander books see: www.fluteandguitar.com or call 1-800-627-0823 if your local music store doesn't know yet how to order them.

James Galway/Phil Coulter ~ Legends [A/B/C]
Although the CD of these Celtic-sounding works (purchased separately) is widely available, the style of arrangements may be a trifle on the "cheesy" side for purists. However the book called "Legends" with its separate flute and piano parts is great!!! The arrangements are heart-warming and well-loved by audiences everywhere (Danny Boy/Lament for the Wild Geese/Theme from Natasha/Ashokan Farewell/ Riverdance etc.) Can be a great gig book for parties and weddings.

Music Minus One #3315 ~ Vivaldi Concerti [B+]
Very fun to wake up your day with playing along with full orchestra on bits and pieces of concerti that sound similar to "The Four Seasons". Try and find this second hand first if you are short on cash; that way you'll have more money left over for.....

Music Minus One in general :
When you look into Music Minus Ones for flute, pick ones that are recorded by flutists Jeffery Zook and Julius Baker to ensure you don't accidentally choose an old Music Minus One recording, one with an obscure and somewhat second-rate flutist from the '60s.
The most recent additions to MMO are the best (higher catalogue numbers).
A full listing of MMO's is on their website: http://www.musicminusone.com

Any of the 'De Haske' Flute and CD Playalongs (Pub: Hal Leonard) [A/B/C]
I've tried Musical Souvenirs [B] and Moments of Swing [C] and they are a hoot-riot. The Dutch irreverence is in evidence, and their rhythm sections have hilarious ideas in various popular styles. You'll start to laugh with delight as you warm up for more serious practice by playing along with these. Sense of Humour: A+ :>D

Jack Gale's 12 Jazz Flute Duets [C+] Tezak- Music Express EC204 Avail. at www.fluteworld.com

These duets come with a backup CD where each piece is played by professional flutists, and then played as back-up only, so you can 'gig' with bass, keyboards and drums. The Ballads are beautiful, the Turnarounds and Bops are loads of fun! This is terrific music for a young adult player, or adult player of some advanced ability. At the same time, they do not require any special jazz knowledge or difficult rhythms; just swing your eighths, and you're off and running! :>)

Expressive Etudes for the Flute with performance CD; Compiled and edited by Laura Barron [Carl Fischer]. $28 Cdn.

Difficulty level: [D] Although I owned most of the sheetmusic already for these 19 etudes by Bohm, Karg-Elert, Fursternau, Andersen, Soussmann, Altes, Kohler, Demersseman, Prill and Taffanel, I purchased this collection in order to have the CD of the etudes being performed as "flute alone" concert pieces. There are some practice suggestions given briefly for each etude, and the copies of printed music are clear and easy to read (etudes are at the grade 10 RCM level for advanced players.) Barron has produced a very nice CD, and this would be inspiring to advanced students, and give them some flashy tempi to observe while they prepare the etudes. Barron's playing is not very emotionally free, but she's a good solid virtuoso player in all other respects. Highly enjoyable, and inspiring for students.

Sonatas for Flute & Piano Book 1 (1 to 12) by Giuseppe Rabboni 91800 - 1856) Edited by Paul Edmund Davies with piano parts composed by Roger Vignoles. [Mel Bay]

Difficulty level: [B+ to C+] Price: $33 to $43 Cdn.

This book of twelve single-mvmt. sonatas includes CD with full performances followed by "Music Minus One" versions with prepatory taps, as well as the full flute part, and the full printed piano part. A very very good value, as the Edmund-Davies performances are lovely and at A440 (rare among UK cds.) Edmund-Davies discovered these sonatas written by Rabboni, but missing their piano accompaniments, which may never have been written. The added piano parts are very simple, and nicely in style. The style is Mozart-like, with many scaler and arpeggiated passages, as well as some soring melodic lines reminiscent of Italian opera. It's just wonderful playing along with Davies, matching vibrato and finger speed, and especially pitch, as his pitch choices are impeccable. A fabulous player. This book would be great for a student at grade 8 flute RCM or higher. (at least three slow Andantes would be approachable by a grade 8 flutist.) I highly recommend this book for learning to play in the Belle Canto style.

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Daily Exercise and Technique books:

These books all contain essential skills for every flutist.To save your pocket book, I've listed only my current favourites, and put these in an order in which you can buy one at a time.

Trevor Wye ~ Practice Book for the Flute Volume I, Tone. (Novello) [A/B] If you are only going to buy one Trevor Wye book (and not the Omibus edition which contains all five practice books by Wye nor the Tone book 'Sonorite' by Moyse ) start with this one purchase for a great tone. Wye created this as a completely explained version of 'De la Sonorite' by Marcel Moyse. This books teaches you HOW to practice tone. It's a great first book for any student of any age over 11.

John Wummer ~ Daily Exercises; (Publisher: International)[B]
If you've never practiced daily exercises before, this is a simple enough book, and fairly inexpensive to start with until you buy the Wye book listed below.. Chords, scales, arpeggios, and trills. Take note that you do not have to play the exercises without breathing, from top to bottom. Instead, allow yourself to mentally put pauses over every main beat, and go slowly and carefully, eventually stringing a whole bar back together again, then adding another bar. Get a trill fingering chart from the net in order to be fully equipped for the trill section. See flute fingering charts on the internet.

Trevor Wye ~ Practice Books for the Flute. Volumes 1~5 Omnibus Edition. [B/C] This is an absolute "must have" for novice, intermediate and advanced students. It contains the first five books in Trevor Wye's "Practice Books for the Flute" series including his TONE book above. But instead of each book at $24 Cdn each, you get all five for about $45 Cdn. Included are: Tone, Articulation, Intonation, Scales, Dynamics and all sorts of absolutely necessary exercises. If you only buy one technique book, this is the one to buy. Ask for OMNIBUS edition.

Reichert ~ Seven Daily Exercises* [B+]
These are also found on the CD sheet music by Presser (if you've decided to buy the 2 "Ultimate Sheetmusic" CDs for flute, see all the asterisked pieces on this list; they are all on one or the other of the two CDs.) Other editions of the Reichert are also widely available and generally inexpensive. They are most flutist's standard warm-ups and flexibility/technical exercises, and good for learning articulations (See Tom Kennedy Flutetalk article excerpts half-way down my articulation article.) These exercises are also excerpted in the Complete Daily Exercises by Wye below.

Marcel Moyse ~ De La Sonorite [B/C]
The basic book that will serve you a lifetime of tone development. No other book has ever replaced this one in almost 100 years. If you don't own the Trevor Wye Practice Book No. 1, the "Tone" book already, let your private teacher help you with the Moyse. If you own no other books, you may also want to pair this slightly expensiveMoyse tone book with the relatively inexpensive John Wummer Daily Exercises above, to have two books that work together.

Fiona Wilkinson ~ The Physical Flute [B/C]
Available at: Waterloo Press* 1 800 563-9683 or at www.fluteworld.com .
A book about balancing and relaxing while you play. Also excellent exercises for phrasing, vowel-assisted dynamic control, vibrato, opening the sound and creating a free-feeling "projection" of the tone, and general body-freedom. Just reading the words directing the balance and poise of easy muscles, while you play the musical samples puts you into an amazing state of physical ease.

Thomas Filas ~ 90 Top Register Studies [C]
These three-line, high-register melodies in every key, will give you the easiest and most beautiful high register in the shortest amount of time. An absolute necessity for anyone trying to advance rapidly as a flutist, as the high register takes the most poise and has the most tricky fingerings. Excellent lay-out for daily short practice stints, and cheerful, fun to play tunes.

Robert Dick ~ Tone Development Through Extended Technique [A/B/C]
Fun to work out of; clear and concise descriptions of all the basic "extended techniques" that will create tone colours and freedom of expression in even novice players.
Terrific!!! Love it!!! It really opens the doors to gorgeous flute sound and makes leaping to high notes effortless. Lots of fingerings given for a variety of special colour effects.

Kujala ~ The Flutist'sVade Mecum [B/C/D]
Relatively new to me this book gives a host of very special fingerings for stabilizing the flute during tricky fingered passages. It contains a WEALTH of interesting and lovely sounding daily exercises, very well thought out and very musical. I would say this book has gone farther than any other for tackling the real problems of rhythmical eveness and flute balance in the hands.

Marcel Moyse ~ Tone Development through Interpretation [B/C]
Short and beautiful excerpts from the Opera repertoire designed to lead you into being able to play high register softly, and low register forte, and to interpret with great musicianship and line.
Beautiful warm up pieces as well as a good low note "leaping" exercise in the back of the book. The perfect companion to "De La Sonorite" as your "tone" book library develops..

Trevor Wye ~ Complete Daily Exercises for the Flute (Novello) [C/D]
Wye has gone to great lengths to create one single book (about $40 U.S.) that eliminates the need to buy at least four daily exercise books. Scales, chromatics, warmups, finger benders and etudes. Ask for this for Xmas. It even has a practice card with all articulations that you can use as a bookmark to show where you are working.

Werner Richter ~ Conditioning Training for Flutists Publisher: (Pub: Zimmerman) [C/D] This book of embouchure exercises is a BREAKTHROUGH in 'how to' manuals for leaping large intervals easily and effortlessly. The explanations, translated tersely from the German, are invaluable for simplifying the conscious efforts we employ to move from one pitch to another under a variety of musical circumstances. No other book puts the instructions so clearly, nor gets to the point of each exercise with such brilliant insights into advanced techniques.Great articulation development exercises. Not for novice players. Available at Fluteworld.

From Theodore Presser Sheet Music CD: In progressive order in this list:

Kohler ~ 20 Easy and Melodic Progressive Exercises* [A/B]
Each of the 20 (book 1 & 2) gives you one key, the scale, the scale in thirds, the arpeggio, Dominant 7th, a short etude and a duet in that key. Fabulous for the person working with a recording device who's trying to progress by themselves or with a teacher.

Gariboldi Easy Etudes* [A/B]
This flute composer may not be a genius but his melodies are very sweet. Easy to sing along as you play, and learn to start using longer and longer phrases and more dynamic contrast.

Andersen ~ Etudes op. 33* [B+]
Andersen is famous for his diabolically difficult etudes, where he knows exactly what the flute's toughest things to do are, and then writes reams of studies of just those tough things, often with no melodic rewards. If you're working your way up to Op. 41, Op. 15, Op. 30, and other finger & brain-busters, start with Op. 33 where you'll feel safe and melodious for awhile before scaling the Andersen Andes! :>)

Kohler ~ Romantic Etudes * [B+]
If you enjoy swooping romantic gooey-bits, this series of Etudes are KING of this style.
Enjoy yourself, until you find yourself helplessly laughing on the floor at this "Parlour music of the 19th century". Each etude is a mini-concert piece unto itself.

J.S. Bach ~ 24 Concert Studies* [B+ to C+]
Transposed from the fabulous Cello Suites and Violin Partitas, these are brilliant and deep. The genius of J.S.Bach needs hardly any help from me to last this long on all repertoire lists. :>)

Karg Elert ~ 30 Caprices* [C/D]
Very serious and very important and pithy etudes for combining modern notation and rhythms (cross-rhythms and contemporary ideas) with beloved melodies of Bach, Handel and other great composers. These are works for the mature brain and have delightful features in each Caprice if you look through them. Careful preparation under a private teacher recommended to enter the level of musical "sophistication" that these will impart to you.

Altes 26 Selected Studies* [C+]
Both Altes and Boehm (see Caprices below) wrote etudes that use chord patterns and arpeggios that make you sound like a full orchestra. These 26 are the more advanced Altes etudes and are well worth working on. They contain the secrets of fine musicianship and are reminiscent of the full orchestral harmonies from the 19th century.

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Jen's favourite etudes purchased as separate books

Melodious and Progressive Studies - Cavally- Pub: Southern [A/B]
A great starter book with easy to moderate Kohler, Gariboldi and Andersen. All scales in the back. If you've finished this book then you're ready for some even MORE fun!!

Berbiguer ~ 18 Etudes [B+]
Lovely melodies that make you think you're in a gondola floating around in Venice. The fingerings are fun and fast, and very show-offy without being THAT hard, and these are easy to read and get effect from right away. I just think they're a hoot and often play them as warmups.

Rubank ~ Voxman - Selected Studies for Flute [C]
A serious collection that contains a lot of fun and famously great etudes. All scales and scales in thirds in the back of the book, and many new key signatures to get used to. (up to many sharps and many flats, but still staying melodious and interesting.) If you're only going to get ONE book of studies in the last year of high school, this would be cheap and thorough.

Boehm ~ 24 Caprices [D]
Boehm invented our modern flute's key system and perfected its design. His musical sense is solid, and his pieces are very fun and beautiful to hear. These are tricky Caprices because he's showing off his use of the low C on his "invention", but they don't go too high into the top register, and hence, come off as great showpieces.
I just LOVE the harmonies, as they make you feel "all's right with the world" and "I'm happy!!!" If an etude can do that then it's very clever indeed. :>)

Jean Jean ~ Etudes Modernes; Pub: Leduc [C+/D] These advanced studies are absolutely beautiful, reminding me of the flute works by Roussel. Musical terms fully defined, use of pentatonic, heptatoic scales, augmented fifth chords, oriental and whole tone scales, unusual time signatures. Similar to Debussy's style. Lovely to work on as sight reading. Wish there were more like these. Gorgeous warmups for the advanced player. Fall easily under the hands. Subdividing complex measures highlighted.

Robert Stallman ~ The Flutist's Detache Book [C+/D]
At the advanced levels, this is the BEST flute etude book ever compiled for working on tonguing and interpretation of detache style Baroque/Classical works in running eighth and sixteenth notes.
Its focus is tonguing and articulation patterns, but the repertoire included, in full, is EXCELLENT!!!
Flip through this book once, and you'll immediately want to own it.
Ask for it for an Xmas present if you find the $50 Cdn. price daunting.
It's a lifetime's worth of tonguing studies plus show pieces as well. (Paganini, Boehm, Bach violin works etc.)

Melodious Etudes for Flute - selected from the Vocalises of Marco Bordogni; Compiled and edited by Larry Clark and Sean O'Loughlin. [Carl Fischer] Difficulty level [B+/C] These are beautiful belle-canto etudes or warmups that span the middle and high ranges of the flute. A great companion book for Filas-High Register Studies or Moyse-Tone Development through Interpretation. They are based on the vocalise exercises by Bordogni (1788-1856) and are lovely to listen to. Several of them run in a series with an 'outline version' first, followed by filled in development versions where the gorgeous melodies become more complex and varied. They would suit grade 8 RCM flutists or higher, and allow a variety of legato style techniques. Large intervals and singing descant lines are highlighted. A delight to play as warmups. There are 54 of these etudes in one moderately priced book; all beautiful!!

NOTE: for more etudes and studies......

A graded list of flute etudes can be found here.

Orchestral Excerpts & Parts

I need a flute part right this minute for an upcoming gig
I'm interested in orchestral excerpts in general
What are the most common flute orchestral excerpt books studied?

Orchestral Excerpt Books that are a good general purchase:

Jeanne Baxtresser ~ Orchestral Excerpts for Flute
(book and CD priced as separate items) Pub: Theodore Presser [C/D]
Baxtresser's CD demonstrates almost all the Orchestral Excerpts you'll need for future auditions, and exams, and gives helpful tips. Special alternate fingerings given in the book of Orchestral Excerpts as well as one or two interesting manuscript samples to see the composer's original intentions. This may be the ONLY Orch. Ex. Book you'll need for the first three years of learning the Orchestral repertoire for flute.

Also see Baxtresser's website for interesting interviews: http://www.jeannebaxtresser.com/conv.html

Trevor Wye ~ Piccolo Practice Book [C/D]
Wye has produced a single book with piccolo teaching, tips, repertoire lists and orchestral excerpts all for around $40 U.S.
A fabulous resource for anyone beyond their second serious year of playing piccolo.
See: http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/flute/index.html for piccolo fingering charts.

Other piccolo information, including more fingering charts and hints for success are here.

Books of Orchestral Excerpts: A list of commonly used Flute Orchestral Excerpt Books.

List of most commonly requested Orchestral Excerpts in Auditions

Flute Orchestral Parts (individual flute/picc parts) needed immediately:

If you're shopping online, you should try the following sources for flute parts for orchestral music:

Luck's Music sells Flute/piccolo parts and their catalogue is online at:
http://www.lucksmusic.net
Phone: 1 800 384-8749

Kalmus sells flute orchestral parts at: 1 800 434-6340.
http://www.kalmus-music.com/

JWPepper has a an online catalogue at: http://www.jwpepper.com/catalog/search

Hickey's Music Center has many standard orchestral flute parts for sale individually for $10 and under.

If you still cannot locate a part, or it is rental only, contact as many professional flute players you can find, and ask to borrow a part, or take a temporary copy from their orchestra's library, if this is allowable.

Also, for the future, see below for CD-roms of parts:

Cd-roms full of thousands of standard flute parts:

For a terrific buy, get all five volumes ($19 U.S. each) of the CD-roms full of all the flute parts (I, II, III and picc parts all for printing out at home, from CD-rom.)

See: Cd-rom Orchestra Musician library vol. 1~5 Three volumes of full flute/piccolo parts on three Cd-rom discs from Beethoven to Debussy to Brahms, Bruckner and Mahler.See table of contents at: http://www.orchmusiclibrary.com/TOC.htm

You can order these orchestral flute sheetmusic CD-roms at: http://www.vcisinc.com/flutemusic.htm

Repertoire lists for flute & band, or flute & orchestra

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Duets

Rubank ~ Selected Duets - Voxman Volume 1 [A/B]
Rubank ~ Selected Duets -Voxman Volume 2 [B/C]
Both the above books feature composers like Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart and some purely flute-specific specialists. Great for gigs or recitals. Hardly any "bad" works.
A lot of fun to learn at home with a recording device as your second flute player, or at your lessons with your teacher.

Joplin ~ Seven Scott Joplin Rags [C] These can be fun although very similar from duet to duet, without a whole lot of concept variation, but nevertheless a "cool" alternative to classical duets. See also the playalong duets by Jack Gale (under "fun playalongs") for jazzy flute duos with the backup trio on CD.

Kohler ~ 40 Progressive Duets* ~ part 1 [A/B] & part 2 [B+/C] These duets are perfect for the student and teacher to play together during lessons. Starting with simple half-note tunes, while the teacher plays very interesting and more advanced accompaniments. Part 2 gives equal difficulty to both parts and contains some great composer's works: Bellini, Mozart, Rachmaninov's "Vocalise", Duo Brilliante, and Chopin Walses.

Kuhlau ~ Various Duets* op. 10/39/81/87/102* [C/D]
There are many great flute duet composers but Kuhlau is an especial favourite of mine, because he sounds so much like Beethoven. If these are too difficult for you, start with op. 10 and work up. Truly, Kuhlau is so full of emotion and passion, they're just PLEASING to work on and put you in an amazing state of mind!

Louis Moyse ~ Album of Flute Duets [B+/C] Some exquisite duets by composers such as Telemann, Schultz, Naudot, and some hilarious ones by Devienne, Reicha, and Mendelssohn's Midsummer, which is diabolically difficult and well worth knowing in advance of playing it with an orchestra. :>)

Mozart ~ 3 Duets K. 156* [C]These duets look easy but are completely transparent, and demand a lot of refinement and clarity. Beautiful writing as always, for Mozart, but use careful intonation and style if chosen for a performance.

Pleyel ~ Three Duets op. 68 [B+] Hailed as "the poor man's Beethoven" Pleyel has a beautiful touch with these duets (originally for violins). Soothing, melodious and sonorous. You will LOVE them.

Quantz ~ Six Duets op. 2* [C] Some tricky rhythmic ideas, but the settings are pure Baroque. If you love this era of music, you will find quite of a few of these op. 2 duets worthy of study with your teacher or another advanced player.

A full list of graded duet repertoire including some novel duets for advanced and intermediate players can be found by clicking here:

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Flute Duo with piano:

The Flute Duet Collection Book 1 & 2 Arranged by Paul Edmund Davies [B/C] These are lovely collections of duos with piano, including Delibes Lakme, Bizet's Gypsy Song from 'Carmen' , Brahms Waltzes, Overture from 'Le Nozze di Figaro' Sheep May Safely Graze, The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
Entr'acte from 'Carmen', Waltz of the Flowers and others. Mel Bay distributes these Mayhew publications.

J.S. Bach ~ Trio Sonata in G Major [C to C+] Absolutely the BEST flute duo ever written. Listen to Galway perform it on his Bach CD with wife Jeanne Galway. Gorgeous. No comparison to any other work. Truly a delight to work on and to hear.

Albinoni ~ Sonata X for 2 violins/piano [B] This works very well with flute duo. Restful and beautiful. Not unlike Albinoni's more famous works for strings.

Madeline Dring ~ 2^nd mvmt. Of "Trio" for flute and oboe or 2 flutes and piano. [C+] Very accessible, expressive and moving, this second movement is delightfully poignant and full of emotion. Dreamy, deep and soulful.

Jennifer Grady ~ Soaring [B+] A heartwarming contemporary composition that sounds like folk-classical. Two seagulls catching thermals and rising on updrafts while a solitary poet looks on in wonder from a quiet beach cabin. Lovely. Well loved by audiences.

Vivaldi ~ Concerto in C [C] The first and third movements are pure joy and light, and the slow center movement is lyrical and lovely. This is a fantastic piece to open a concert with.

Franz Doppler ~ Andante & Rondo Op. 25 [C+] A slow, lyrical opening, with swoops and spins, very bewitching, followed by a gypsy dance that is a complete toe-tapper. A huge success with audiences world wide. Very fun to play.

Franz Doppler ~ Concerto in D minor for Two Flutes [D+] This work of DopplerÃ¢Â€Â™s was originally toured through the courts of Europe with his brother Karl. Over 100 years later Andras Adorjan spliced it back together from fragments and incomplete copies to perform it with Rampal. Unbelievably difficult at times, and taking a great number of rehearsals for ensemble, internal rhythm and technical control, it could be one of the highlights of any concerto competition. The music itself is not profound or deep, but the preparation and performance can be thrilling. (orchestral parts somewhat expensive in rental from Presser.)

Note: I would be happy to hear about more repertoire for two flutes, or two flutes and piano, that come from YOUR recommendations. Feel free to drop me an email and let me know your favourites. I'm always on the lookout for great, moving repertoire for my students and myself.

*Waterloo Press*

Phone: (519) 886-4990
Fax: (519) 886-4999
Order Desk: 1-800-563-9683 (toll free)
email: info@waterloomusic.com

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Special notes:
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*FLUTE SHEET MUSIC ON CD

*Note on Theodore Presser CD Sheet Music:

All pieces above with asterisks are on two CD-roms for printing out at home. See below to order.

If you are interested in one source for tons of sheet music and you do own a computer, there are two "Ultimate CD Sheet Music" discs available that you can print using your home printer. The "Flute Solos" CD-rom contains both flute and piano parts. The "Methods and Ensembles" CD-rom includes a wealth of method books, full scales etc. plus etudes and duets (and one or two trios and quartets.) Not all the music is "great" music, but there is certainly enough to justify the price of approx. $20 U.S. per CD.

Order by phoning: Theodore Presser: (610) 525-3636 ext. 41
Or order online or find local distributers at: http://www.cdsheetmusic.com/

The web address above will also give a full index of all sheet music that the CDs contain. INDEXES: 1. Flute Solos & 2. Flute Methods/Ensembles by Theodore Presser. See INDEX of these CD-roms: Solos ~ Methods/Ensembles.

REMINDER: The above sheet music lists are only of my personal current favourites. Everyone has completely different tastes. :>)

You will find your own favourites by exploring your own path through the huge amount of available flute repertoire. The lists above are just suggestions of places to START. :>)

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Back to Jen Cluff's webpage

Index:

Jen's Favourite Flute Repertoire

Baroque

Classical

Romantic/French

Orchestral Excerpts & Parts