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Two Pieces: Pensiero and Allegro appassionato, by Frank Bridge

Transcribed for B-flat Clarinet and Piano by C.A.Vater

Score and Part; PDF $10.99

Certain chamber works written for viola can also work very beautifully when transcribed for clarinet, and indeed may actually be coveted by clarinetists.  Brahms’ Two Songs for Voice, Viola and Piano, Op. 91 is one such piece, and our transcription has become one of NSM’s most popular publications.   Clarinetists may discover that our adaptation of the viola part of Frank Bridge’s Two Pieces: Pensiero and Allegro appassionato, written for viola and piano, is also well-conceived and enjoyable to play.  As suggested by their titles, these two pieces were written in very different styles, but they complement each other well, showing off Bridge’s composing versatility and providing performers an opportunity to display a range of emotions and capabilities.  In our edition, we have raised the Pensiero key from F minor to G minor, taken a few passages in both pieces 8va to bring them into clarinet range, and created clarinet-friendly adaptations for the viola’s occasional double stops, but otherwise the pieces remain as Bridge composed them.   

Score, 10 pages; Clarinet part, 3 pages; Total, 16 pages.  

Acht Stücke, Op.83, by Max Bruch

Transcribed for Alto Flute (with Clarinet and Piano) by Davies, Pratt, and Vater

Alto Flute Part, PDF $9.98

Originally scored for clarinet, viola, and piano (or violin, cello, and piano), Bruch's Acht Stücke (Eight Pieces) adapts nicely for a trio with clarinet, alto flute, and piano. Bruch's beautiful melodies are well served by the rich tones of the alto flute. 

In creating this transcription of the viola part for alto flute, we have taken great care to maintain the spirit and character of the original instrumentation.  We provide here the alto flute part.  The piano and clarinet parts are readily available in the public domain as free pdf downloads of the score and parts.  Here is a link to one such source:  Piano Score and Clarinet Part

Alto Flute part, 17 pages; Total, 19 pages.

Southland Sketches, Nos. I, III, IV, by H. T. Burleigh

Transcribed for Alto Flute or Flute (and piano) by C. A. Vater

Alto Flute part and Flute part, PDF $9.96

Harry Thacker Burleigh was an acclaimed African-American singer, music editor, and composer whose adaptations of African-American spirituals became famous. His Southland Sketches, which were composed for violin and piano and published by G. Ricordi in 1916, are a fine example of Burleigh’s quintessential American style. The original composition included 4 movements. Our edition excludes the second movement, but adapts three of the original four miniatures for either alto flute or flute. We provide only the transcribed alto flute and flute parts, as they have been designed to work well with the piano part in the original score for violin and piano which is available as a good quality, free pdf download from imslp.org. Performers may choose to play all three of these pieces on either flute or alto flute, or switch instruments between sketches, depending on personal preference.

Alto Flute part, 6 pages; alternate Flute part, 6 pages; Total,18 pages. (pdf of piano accompaniment is freely available at imslp.org)

Cavatine, Op.37, by Napoléon Coste

Transcribed for Alto Flute and Piano by C.A.Vater

Piano Score and Alto Flute Part, PDF $8.25

Napoléon Coste (1805-1883) was born in a small village in the Départment of the Doubs, France.  He began to play guitar at the age of 6, studying with his mother who was an accomplished guitar performer.   Napoléon himself began teaching and performing on guitar as a teenager.   At age 24 he moved to Paris, where he studied under Fernando Sor, the renowned Spanish classical guitarist and composer.   Coste quickly established himself as a virtuoso and is widely acknowledged as the dominant French guitarist of his era.

Coste became famous not only as a guitar soloist, but also as a major composer of some 60 works, most of which were written for guitar.  His Op.37 "Cavatine" is a short, single-movement piece composed for piano and oboe (or violin or flute).  The work is lovely, melodic but lively in places; it falls nicely within the range of the alto flute and sounds appealing and completely natural on that instrument.  The Noteworthy Sheet Music edition includes a score for piano and alto flute, in addition to the transcribed alto flute part.

Alto Flute part, 3 pages; Piano Score, 8 pages; Total, 16 pages.

Les Regrets-Cantilène, Op.36, by Napoléon Coste

Transcribed for Alto Flute or Flute (or Oboe or Violin) and Piano (or Harp or Guitar) by C.A.Vater

Score, Alto Flute Part, and alternative Flute (or Oboe or Violin) Part, PDF $5.99

Napoléon Coste (1805-1883) became famous not only as a guitar soloist, but also as a major composer of some 60 works, most of which were written for guitar. His music is in the romantic French style and appreciated for its originality.  His Fantaisie, Op.36, Les Regrets-Cantilène, is a short, single-movement piece written for oboe or violin with piano or harp or guitar.  We created our Noteworthy Sheet Music edition from the difficult-to-read manuscript version in the public domain, available on imslp.org.  We include a score in concert pitch and a part suitable for flute, oboe or violin, as well as a part transcribed for alto flute in G.  The piece falls nicely within the sweet range of the alto flute and our transposition sounds appealing and completely natural on that instrument.  In fact, Les Regrets-Cantilène is gorgeous on either flute or alto flute.  Melodic and sentimental, the work is not overly demanding technically and should appeal to players of a moderate or higher skill level.

Score, 4 pages; Alto Flute part, 1 page; Flute (or Oboe or Violin) part, 1 page; Total 8 pages.

Grande Sonate, Op.62, by Franz Danzi

for Piano and Basset Horn; re-notated, edited, and with occasional ossia elaborations suggested by John W. Pratt

Piano Score and Basset Horn Part, PDF $13.99

Franz Danzi (1763-1826) was an active musician, cellist, and teacher in Mannheim, Munich, Stuttgart, and Karlsruhe. A prolific composer, especially of music for the stage and chamber music from keyboard solos to sextets, he revered Mozart and mentored Weber. His wind quintets are notable. His Grande Sonate, Opus 62, for piano and basset horn, was published about 1823, along with an alternative cello part which sometimes differs from the basset horn part in other ways than octave transposition. // The original publication of Danzi’s Opus 62 is available at imslp.org., but there is no full score and the parts are hard to play from, or sometimes even to read at all, lack measure numbers, have a few errors, and differ in the number of measures in the last two movements. We have therefore prepared a full score including the basset horn in concert pitch, to facilitate checking the fit of the basset horn and piano lines and our transcriptions for other instruments against the original.  — excerpted from John Pratt’s foreword to the edition

Piano Score, 28 pages; Basset Horn part, 7 pages; Total 40 pages.

Grande Sonate, Op.62, by Franz Danzi

transcribed for Piano and Flute by John W. Pratt

Piano score and Flute part, PDF $14.99

excerpted from John Pratt’s foreword to the edition: 'Franz Danzi (1763-1826) was an active musician, cellist, and teacher in Mannheim, Munich, Stuttgart, and Karlsruhe.  A prolific composer, especially of music for the stage and chamber music from keyboard solos to sextets, he revered Mozart and mentored Weber.  His wind quintets are notable.  His Grande Sonate, Opus 62, for piano and basset horn, was published about 1823, along with an alternative cello part which sometimes differs from the basset horn part in other ways than octave transposition. // The sound of the basset horn varies widely, depending on its construction, who is playing, what is being played, and who is describing it.  George Bernard Shaw said, ''The devil himself could not make a basset horn sparkle.''  Burnet Tuthill, in Cobbett's Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music (1929), wrote of its "soft mellow timbre of rich beauty.”  E.T.A. Hoffmann likened its sound to the scent of red carnations (see Georgina Dobré, The Basset Horn, who says, pace Shaw, “Sparkle it certainly can!”).  That tent is broad enough to cover the characteristics of both the flute and the clarinet comfortably, and Danzi’s Grande Sonate alternates sparkle and mellow rich beauty in large measure.'  Since we at NSM have grown quite fond of this piece, we decided to transcribe it for both flute and clarinet, so we and our friends could enjoy playing it.  We offer here the flute edition, with a version for clarinet to follow in the coming weeks.

Piano score, 28 pages; Flute part, 7 pages; Total 40 pages.

Grande Sonate, by Franz Danzi

transcribed for Piano and Clarinet by John W. Pratt

Piano score and B♭ Clarinet part, PDF $14.99

Danzi’s Grande Sonate, Opus 62, written for piano and basset horn, was published around 1823, along with an alternative part for cello. Please see additional information about this piece in the article describing our re-notated basset horn edition. The Grande Sonate comprises four movements and provides both sparkle and mellow rich beauty. It is nicely adaptable to other winds, particularly the clarinet. Certain passages in the final movement of the original work seem to invite elaboration or improvisation by the solo instrument, and arranger John Pratt offers suggestions for possible additions or alternatives for the clarinet, making it even more fun to play.

Piano Score, 28 pages; B♭ Clarinet Part, 7 pages; Total, 40 pages.

Première Rhapsodie, by Claude Debussy

Transcribed for Alto Flute by C.A.Vater, with a Foreword by P.H.Bloom

Alto Flute Part ― PDF $5.99

Since its introduction as a morceau de concours for the Paris Conservatoire in 1910, Debussy's Première Rhapsodie has been an essential piece of the clarinet repertoire. ... Although most of the morceaux are, by definition, run-of-the mill exercises of virtuosity à la mode, a number have endured as works of significant musical merit.  Debussy's Première Rhapsodie is one such piece.  It's a vehicle for expressive interpretation and artistry, with charm, warmth, passion, and humor; a lasting treasure at the core of every clarinetist's collection of indispensable works. ... But a transcription?  Of a work by Debussy - the great colorist of instrumental sonority?  From clarinet to alto-flute? ... Each and every element, in fact, evokes the alto-flute! ... Of course the piece sounds different on the two instruments.  Although the sonic hues are different, the colors are just as vivid.  The distinct sonorities of the alto-flute support the nuance, the affect, and the power of the work. (excerpted from Peter H. Bloom © 2012)

We provide our alto flute part only; appropriate parts for piano or orchestral accompaniment may be obtained as free pdf downloads from public domain resources, such as imslp.org.

Alto Flute part, 4 pages; Total, 10 pages.

The Voice and The Flute, by John H. Densmore

Aria for Soprano and Flute

Facsimile Edition by Noteworthy Sheet Music

Piano Score and Part, $8.99

The Voice and The Flute is a work composed by John H. Densmore for soprano, flute, and piano, with lyrics written by Mary Gardenia.  Densmore was a native of Somerville, Massachusetts; he graduated from Harvard '04 and is perhaps best known for having composed the Harvard fight song "Veritas".  Our edition of Densmore's Aria for Soprano and Flute is a facsimile reproduction of the original 1922 edition published by the composer, and contains both the piano score and the part for the voice and the flute.  

Piano, Flute, & Voice score, 12 pages; Flute & Voice part, 6 pages; Total, 21 pages.