Flute Alone
Bach - Chaconne - Flute or Alto Flute
Chaconne, BWV 1004, by J. S. Bach
Transcribed for Flute or Alto Flute by Peter H. Bloom, PDF $9.98
The Chaconne BWV 1004, originally from Johann Sebastian's Suite in D minor for unaccompanied violin, is among the most challenging, controversial, enigmatic, and magnificent works known. This transcription by Peter H. Bloom was created for unaccompanied alto flute in G or concert flute in C. Mr. Bloom is motivated by an interest in historical performance practice, devotion to the art of improvisation, fascination with the technique of the flute and alto flute, and an abiding love of this masterpiece of Bach's. As well as transposing and digitally engraving the original version of the Chaconne, Mr. Bloom provides practical, effective, and cogent performer's solutions to the many interpretive challenges that occur throughout this work.
Flute or Alto Flute part, 10 pages; Total, 12 pages.
PreviewBowlby - Laurels - Flute
Laurels, by Timothy J. Bowlby
Contemporary Composition for Solo Flutist, playing flute, alto flute, and piccolo, PDF $9.00
—adapted from excerpts of program notes written by the composer, Timothy J. Bowlby:Flute part, 5 pages of music; Total, 8 pages.
PreviewDetlor - Song for Eric Dolphy - Flute (or Alto Flute) Alone
Song for Eric Dolphy, by Len Detlor
Edited and with a Preface by Peter H. Bloom
Contemporary Composition for Flute (or Alto Flute) Alone, $14.15
Mr. Bloom, in his Preface to Song for Eric Dolphy, writes: "Len Detlor (1941-2008) was an extraordinary artist whose creative vision, masterful technique, and depth of humanity transcended medium and category. As a composer, saxophonist and flutist, arranger, and music director, he was devoted to musical expression that was both elegantly structured and unconstrained." Len Detlor composed this evocative piece as a tribute to the legendary saxophonist, clarinetist, and flutist Eric Dolphy (1928-1964), whose recordings remain highly influential across musical genres and generations.
Here's a YouTube link to a 9/23/2023 performance of Song for Eric Dolphy by Peter H. Bloom:
Flute part, 7 pages; Total, 10 pages.
PreviewLi Qi - Fog - Flute Alone
Fog, by Li Qi
Contemporary Composition for Solo Flute, PDF $5.99
Fog was written in 2012 by the up-and-coming young composer Li Qi. In addition to receiving other projects and awards, Li Qi was selected by the Wellesley Chamber Music Workshop to compose the program's commissioned piece for 2016, An Autumn Dusk in the Mountains for flute1, flute2/alto flute, cello, and piano.
Short, interesting, and challenging, Fog will appeal to advanced flutists and their audiences. Inspired by the poem "Stray Birds" by Rabindranath Tagore, the piece strives to capture in a musical way the recurring interplay between fog and sunlight, as a representation of the circle of life with all its sorrow, joy, and continuously-unfolding beauty. A recording of a 2012 performance of Fog by Heath White at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, has been posted on YouTube; please click the link to listen.
Our front cover image is from Wikimedia Commons: "The Mount Emei" by pookieevans (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Flute part, 3 pages; Total, 7 pages.
McDonald - Three Melodies That Descend - Flute
Three Melodies That Descend, Op.474, Nos.96-98 by John D. McDonald
Contemporary Composition for Solo Flute, $2.99
John McDonald is Professor of Music at Tufts University, where he served as Director of Graduate Music Studies from 2000 to 2010 and Department Chair from 2000 to 2003. He was named the 2007 MTNA—Shepherd Distinguished Composer of the Year by the Music Teachers National Association, and received the 2009 Lillian and Joseph Leibner Award for Distinguished Teaching and Advising from Tufts University. In 2010, he received the Waring Prize from Western Reserve Academy, the highest award given to alumni of that school. His recordings appear on the Albany, Archetype, Boston, Bridge, Capstone, Neuma, New Ariel, and New World labels, and he has concertized widely as composer, pianist, and collaborative performer. New releases include pianist Andrew Rangell's performance of McDonald's Meditation Before A Sonata: Dew Cloth, Dream Drapery, on Bridge Records.
McDonald's Three Melodies That Descend, Op.474, Nos.96-98 were written for composer and flutist Joshua Hahn after his graduation from Tufts University in May 2011. They work on the principle that what starts high must come down, and they are also a foil to the Eleven Melodies That Go Up In Different Ways (Op. 474, Nos. 30-40).
Flute part, 2 pages; Total, 4 pages.
Snow Pond Anthology—2015
Snow Pond Composers Workshop Anthology New Music for Flute 2015
Edited by Joshua Tomlinson, PDF $21.95
The first annual Snow Pond Composers Workshop took place June 7-13, 2015, under the direction of Edward Jacobs and Richard Nelson. The workshop was part of the broader Snow Pond Music Festival taking place in Sidney, Maine. Peter H. Bloom was the Visiting Performing Artist, and Elliott Schwartz was the Guest Composer. The Snow Pond Composers Workshop Anthology—New Music for Flute 2015, edited by Joshua Tomlinson, includes all of the scores presented at the workshop:
ED by Sean O. G. Burns | one player, on flute with kick drum and voice
Where Wind Blows by William C. Edwards | solo flute
Farewell to Charms by Henry Feinberg | solo flute
Amuse-Bouche by Edward Jacobs | solo flute
Published by American Composers Alliance, reprinted with permission.
Stillness by Richard Nelson | trumpet, saxophone, guitar, bass, and drums/percussion;
or, flute and electric guitar (or other small combination of instruments)
Party On, Bloom! by Alan Racadag | one player, on piccolo, C-flute, alto flute,
and optional bass flute
Soliloquy III by Elliott Schwartz | one player, on flute, piccolo, alto flute, and piano
Published by American Composers Alliance, reprinted with permission.
Something Human by Joshua Tomlinson | solo flute
Indecision (...or maybe not) by Isaac Ward | solo flute
Vyvirian Folk Songs by Julian Ward | solo flute
Quicksilver by Joshua Zinn | solo flute
This is a remarkable collection of new music for flute, which Noteworthy Sheet Music is pleased to make available to the broader flute community. Our edition includes composer biographies and performance notes, as well as the scores.
Here's a YouTube link to a 9/23/2023 performance of ED by Peter H. Bloom:
Preview
Awarded 2018: Congratulations to composer Edward Jacobs on being awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship.
Vercoe - To Music - Flute Alone
To Music, by Elizabeth Vercoe
Contemporary Composition for Solo Flute, PDF $6.99
Dr. Elizabeth Vercoe has been a composer at the St. Petersburg Music Festival in Russia, the Cité International des Arts in Paris, and the MacDowell Colony, and held the Acuff Chair of Excellence at Austin Peay State University in 2003. She has won many awards, commissions, and publications along with grants from the Artists Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Her music is recorded on the Centaur, Capstone, Owl, Leonarda, and Parma labels and is published in print edition by Arsis Press.
To Music (2003) is a short, atmospheric solo for flute in four contrasting sections. At times the music is virtuosic, occasionally calling for multiphonics and other special effects. The titles of the four sections are taken from the haunting poetry of the Russian writer, Anna Akhmatova, a poet deeply interested in music.
Click to access a recording of To Music performed by flutist Peter H. Bloom in 2011 which has been posted on YouTube.
To Music can also be heard on the PARMA Recordings all-Vercoe CD titled Kleemation and Other Works by Elizabeth Vercoe, which has received excellent critical reviews. Click to read an IAWM Journal review Dr. Laura G. Kafka or one by Lee Passarella published by Audiophile Audition magazine. "There's more poetic reference in To Music, the titles of whose four short sections are taken from Russian poet Anna Akhmatova's work. Like the Fantasy, it successfully showcases the colors and techniques available to the modern practitioner of her instrument, in this case the flute."
Preview Flute part, 5 pages; Total, 8 pages.The image on our sheet music cover page displayed above is of Nathan Altman's 1914 painting, Portrait of Anna Akhmatova. Please note that this image, courtesy of Wikipedia, is public domain in the United States because it was first published before 1923 but it remains copyrighted in its source country. Therefore, we offer two editions of this publication, a USA edition with the Altman cover image and a non-USA edition without the cover image. The editions are otherwise identical.
To Music was commissioned by flutist Lisa Vanarsdel and written for her and for the Laurels Flute Project. The piece was premiered in 2005 by flutist Peter Bloom on the Quincy Library concert series in Quincy, Massachusetts. In 2009 Capstone Records issued a recording entitled "Points of Entry" (CP 8806, second volume of the Laurels Flute Project) with flutist Nancy Stagnitta performing To Music.
Listen to a bit of To Music: mp3 tomusic