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Uncommon Sheet Music for Flute and Alto Flute

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  • Lane - Danzas Mecánicas - Wind Quintet

    lane.danzasmecnicas imageDanzas Mecánicas, by Peter Van Zandt Lane

    Contemporary Composition for Wind Quintet, PDF $30.00

    Peter Van Zandt Lane is a Boston-based composer and bassoonist.  His compositions have been performed across the United States, as well as in Europe and South America, by acclaimed musicians and ensembles such as The Cleveland Orchestra, SIGNAL, International Contemporary Ensemble, Dinosaur Annex, New York Virtuoso Singers, Triton Brass, Xanthos Ensemble, East Coast Composers Ensemble, EAR Duo, Quux Collective, and NotaRiotous.  He has written for chamber ensemble, wind ensemble, orchestra, and choir, and often employs the use of electronics in his works.

    Lane's Danzas Mecánicas - for woodwind quintet (2011) is an exciting 3-movement, 10-minute piece of fairly high difficulty scored for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon.  A recording of the piece performed by the Solar Winds Quintet at Slosberg Hall, Brandeis University, in October, 2013 can be heard on YouTube.

    Score, 26 pages; Parts, 49 pages; Total, 78 pages.

    Preview
  • Lane - Transverse Fractures - Flute & Piano

    lane.transverse fractures.imageTransverse Fractures, by Peter Van Zandt Lane

    Contemporary Composition for Flute and Piano, PDF $20.00

    Peter Van Zandt Lane's compositions have been featured on various festivals and conferences such as the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, Spark Festival, FEASt Fest, SEAMUS National Conferences, Forecast Music, Festival Miami, and LIPM/IEMS at the world renowned Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.  He has received awards in several competitions including the CRS Young Composers competition, the Forecast Music International Composers Competition, The Greater Miami Youth Symphony Composition Competition, and the Cleveland Orchestra Miami Residency Call for Scores.  He has been a finalist twice for the ASCAP/SEAMUS Student Commission, and is an active member of the Composers in Red Sneakers, one of the country's longest-running composer consortiums.

    Transverse Fractures (2009) is a short, virtuosic, high-energy duet for flute and piano.  The piece was derived from a larger, longer chamber work entitled Partial Fractures, which the composer wrote for NotaRiotous Ensemble.  Transverse Fractures, approximately 5 minutes long, is a piece of considerable difficulty for both the flutist and the pianist.  

    Piano Score, 13 pages; Flute Part, 7 pages; Total, 23 pages.  

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  • Bauer – Sonata, Op.22 – Alto Saxophone

    BauerOp22 sax nsmSonata, Op.22, by Marion Bauer

    Transcribed for Alto Saxophone (and piano) by Paul Cohen (originally for viola and piano)

    Alto Saxophone Part, PDF $11.79

    Paul Cohen is one of America's most sought-after saxophonists for orchestral and chamber concerts and solo recitals.  In addition to being a renowned performer and recording artist, he is also a talented arranger, lecturer, and collector of rare and historical instruments.  Dr. Cohen holds MM and DMA degrees from the Manhattan School of Music; he currently serves on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music and Rutgers University.  We at NSM were pleased for the opportunity to collaborate with him on this publication of his transcription of Marion Bauer’s Sonata for alto saxophone.

    from Dr. Paul Cohen’s preface to the NSM edition © April 7, 2021: 

    “Bauer composed this sonata in 1932 or 1935.  It originally was written for viola, and dedicated to the memory of her friend and colleague, Albert Stoessel who was a distinguished American violinist, conductor, author, composer, and educator in the 20th century.  Bauer soon after created her own idiomatic transcription for clarinet and piano, and the sonata was published as a work for viola or clarinet in 1951.  It is revealing to see the differences in the viola and clarinet versions.  The piano part remains unchanged in both.

    PC photo cropped 100 webThere is a history of music for viola successfully adapted for saxophone by the composers.  Fernande Decruck’s Sonata (1943) for saxophone and piano (or orchestra) was originally written for viola, as was Ross Lee Finney’s Sonata in A Minor from 1937 (viola and piano), adapted for saxophone in the early 1970s.  Several works for alto saxophone and orchestra written for the American saxophonist Elise Hall were originally written for viola, including Florent Schmitt’s Legende (1918) and Choral Variee´ (1903) by Vincent D’Indy. Adolph Busch composed his Suite for violin and either viola or alto saxophone in 1926, while in 1923 Darius Milhaud replaced the viola with the saxophone in La Creation du Monde literally positioning the saxophone in the viola chair in the string section.  My saxophone adaptation of Bauer’s Sonata combines elements of the clarinet and viola versions, creating a version appropriate for the alto saxophone.  This includes changes in range, articulation, phrasing and dynamics to create an idiomatic (though challenging) version for the alto saxophone faithful to the musical intent of the composer.”

    For additional information about Marion Bauer, please see the text excerpted from Peter H. Bloom’s preface to NSM’s 2014 publication of his transcription of the Sonata for alto flute.

    We provide only the transcribed alto saxophone part in our edition; a pdf of the piano score is available from imslp.org.

    Alto Saxophone Part, 11 pages; Total, 14 pages

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  • Gifford - The Pied Piper of Hamelin - An Operetta

    Gifford PiedPiper nsmThe Pied Piper of Hamelin, by Marjorie Otis Gifford

    An Operetta, from the Poem by Robert Browning
    Facsimile Edition by Noteworthy Sheet Music, LLC, PDF $24.99

    Marjorie Otis Gifford (1909-2003) was a composer, choirmaster, and long-time music and piano teacher in CT and NY.  At age 24, she put music to Robert Browning's classic poem The Pied Piper of Hamelin, creating a children's operetta for her students.  In her preface to the operetta, Mrs. Gifford states that perhaps the best performance of The Pied Piper was at the Lenox School in NYC, where she was teaching in 1938; that production was directed by Antoinette Perry, who later became known as 'Tony' of the Tony Awards.  Indeed, there are additional famous personalities and much fascinating history associated with the remarkable life of Marjorie Otis Gifford.

    The Pied Piper of Hamelin operetta was brought to NSM's attention by Gale Finlayson, daughter of composer and music educator Walter Finlayson, and we created our facsimile edition of the operetta at Gale's request.  Marjorie Otis Gifford and Walter Finlayson were great friends, and in her preface Mrs. Gifford credits Mr. Finlayson with putting her operetta down on paper.  NSM has received permission to publish the operetta from both the executor of Mrs. Gifford's estate and from Deborah O'Connor, the artist who created the charming illustrations that grace the internal pages of the operetta.  We hope that, in publishing our facsimile edition, we can contribute to sustaining the legacy of Marjorie Otis Gifford and enabling future generations of young music students to perform and enjoy her work.

    Marjorie Otis Gifford's The Pied Piper of Hamelin operetta was performed by the Rutland Youth Theatre of Rutland, VT, on March 2, 2018; click the link to visit YouTube and watch clips of this performance videotaped and posted by Ms. Finlayson.

    Score with music and lyrics for voices and piano accompaniment, 67 pages; text of the Robert Browning poem addendum, 7 pages; Total, 78 pages.

    Preview

    Please use the Contact Us link to order The Pied Piper of Hamelin operetta PDF.  Upon receiving your request, we will send you an invoice via PayPal and, once PayPal acknowledges receiving your payment, we will email a copy of the PDF to you directly.

  • Vercoe - Fantavia - Flute & Percussion

    Fantavia_Image_122011Fantavia, by Elizabeth Vercoe

    Contemporary Composition for Flute and Percussion, PDF $12

    Described by the New York Times as a piece with 'timbral adventures and lovely moments', Fantavia for flute and percussion is based on the rhythms and melodies of North American birdcalls.  Some of the calls are as familiar as the orioles and robins of a suburban back yard, while others like the common loon are recollected on awakening at dawn in the wilderness.  Although a literal transcription was the starting point for each call, the music is intended as a fantasy. 


    ev image flipped caption jpg

    Fantavia has been performed at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, at Merkin Hall in New York, at the National Flute Convention in Colorado and on several U.S. tours of the Armstrong Duo. 

    vercoe fantavia cdThe Duo recorded Fantavia on a Centaur compact disc entitled “Exotic Chamber Music” in 1996.  Click to read a review published in the IAWM Journal

    Click on the icons to hear audio samples. 

     mp3 iconmp3 fantavialoon  

    mp3 iconmp3 fantaviatrills

    Named by the Washington Post as 'one of the most inventive composers working in America today', Elizabeth Vercoe has had performances throughout the U.S. and abroad including: the St. Petersburg Spring Music Festival in Russia, the Goethe Institute in Bangkok, and the Pompidou Center in Paris as well as by the New York Virtuoso Singers and Boston Musica Viva.

    Score for flute and percussion, 14 pages; Total, 17 pages.

    Preview

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    We also offer a printed hard copy edition of Fantavia for $20.40 plus a $5.95 shipping and handling fee.  Due to prohibitively high international shipping rates, we ship print editions only to addresses in the USA. Please use the Contact Us form to let us know which hard copy publication(s) you would like to purchase, along with your email contact information and USPS mailing address.  We will then send you a PayPal invoice for the sale and, once we receive notice from PayPal that you have paid for the item(s), we will ship your music to the address provided.

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  • Bloom - From the Drawer - Tenor or Soprano, Flute, Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn

    Bloom FTD nsmFrom the Drawer, by Peter H. Bloom

    Contemporary Composition for Tenor or Soprano, with Flute (doubling Piccolo), Clarinet in B-flat, Bassoon, and Horn in F

    Score and Parts, PDF $13.99

    Peter H. Bloom is a Boston-based flutist, whose original compositions and arrangements are published by Noteworthy Sheet Music.  From the Drawer was written for Tenor or Soprano, with Flute (doubling Piccolo), Clarinet, Bassoon, and Horn, and provides a musical setting for the intensely emotional poem by Constantine Cavafy.

    Here are Peter Bloom's comments about From the Drawer from the composer's preface (Copyright © 2015) to the edition:

    "Constantine Cavafy’s 1923 poem, From the Drawer, captures the acerbic condition of longing, the impossibly private nature of affection, and the occultation of time. Its poignancy is universal; transcending gender, age, era, place, and even translation. Rather than rely on one particular translation of Cavafy’s text, I’ve drawn on a number of versions to arrive at a paraphrase that both informs and is shaped by the musical score.

    The musical setting is a sonic image of the intensely emotional response to a flood of memory that informs the poet’s narrative: now pensive, now anxious, now wistful, now joyous, now fraught, now resigned, and ever mercurial."  P. H. Bloom, September 19, 2015

    Our sheet music edition of From the Drawer was featured on the New Products page of the Summer 2016 edition of "The Flutist Quarterly", journal of The National Flute Association.

    Score, 14 pages; Tenor or Soprano part, 2 pages; Flute part, 4 pages; Clarinet part, 3 pages; Bassoon part, 3 pages; Horn part, 3 pages; Total, 29 pages.

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    We also offer a professionally-printed hard copy edition of From the Drawer for $23.78 plus a $5.95 shipping and handling fee. Due to prohibitively high international shipping rates, we ship print editions only to addresses in the USA. Please use the Contact Us form to let us know which hard copy publication(s) you would like to purchase, along with your email contact information and USPS mailing address. We will then send you a PayPal invoice for the sale and, once we receive notice from PayPal that you have paid for the item(s), we will ship your music to the address provided.

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  • McDonald - Three Melodies That Descend - Flute

    mcdonald.three melodies image 240 pxThree 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

    SPA nsmSnow 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.  

    Scores, 39 pages of music; Total, 64 pages.
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    Awarded 2018: Congratulations to composer Edward Jacobs on being awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship.
     
    Peter H. Bloom gave a lecture on “Effective Writing for Flutes and the Contemporary Flutist” at the 2018 Snow Pond Composers Workshop.  In his presentation, Mr. Bloom discussed various topics using four contemporary works published by Noteworthy Sheet Music, including Amuse-Bouche and Soliloquy III, as examples.  We later published a free text version of this excellent presentation on our website, in the Reviews and Articles section, including some of the audio clips and supplemental written materials that Mr. Bloom used as demonstrations... click the link to access the text version.
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    We also offer a plastic-comb-bound print edition of the Snow Pond Anthology for $37.32 plus a $5.99 shipping and handling fee. We ship print editions only to addresses in the USA.  Please use the Contact Us form to let us know which hard copy publication(s) you would like to purchase, along with your email contact information and USPS mailing address.  We will then send you a PayPal invoice for the sale and, once we receive notice from PayPal that you have paid for the item(s), we will ship your music to the address provided.
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  • McDonald - Three Four-Note Flute Duets - Two Flutes

    mcdonald.three four-note flute duets.image 240pxThree Four-Note Flute Duets, Op.448b, by John D. McDonald

    Contemporary Composition for Two Flutes, PDF $2.99

    "Composed for Ethel Farny and her flute students at the Rivers Music School, these short duets sprout initially from the first flute/violin duet of Several Strands, Op. 448a.  This Grazioso is indeed made from only four pitches. Similarly, Murmurando confines itself to a four-note knot until its final dyad.  The third duet, Con Eleganza, stretches the four-note concept a bit more. Each instrument has its own four-pitch pattern, and a coda leaves the four-note idea behind all together, concluding the set with six slower, somewhat more chromatic bars that could very well lead to future music of more emotional complexity.  Perhaps there will be more duets to come."    ― John McDonald, November 2009

    John McDonald is a member of The Mockingbird Trio, directs the Tufts Composers Concert Series, and serves on the boards of several performance organizations in New England.  He has recently fulfilled commissions from The Chamber Orchestra of Boston, pianist David Holzman, The Firebird Ensemble (for an Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music Residency, with support from a Meet the Composer MetLife Creative Connections Award), and the ANA Trio (Fredonia University; soprano, cello, and piano), among others.  Recent performances by McDonald at the Goethe Institut of Boston, at Tufts, and at many other venues have been highly acclaimed.

    Score for Two Flutes, 2 pages; Total, 4 pages.

  • Nelson - Play of Light - Flute & Harp

    nelson POL nsm-rPlay of Light, by Richard Nelson 

    Contemporary Composition for Flute (doubling piccolo & bass flute) and Harp

    Score and Flute Part, PDF $15.25

    Play of Light, for flute and harp, was written for the duo "2" (Peter H. Bloom and Mary Jane Rupert).  The piece is built around spaciousness, transparency, multi-hued shadings and playful chases.  The incorporation of bass flute and piccolo further enhances the inherently rich color possibilities of the flute/harp combination—the three flute instruments in succession form a sort of "super-flute" in the work's final section.  

    Drawing on his jazz and improvisation background, composer Richard Nelson in this composition leads the players into a substantial section that they complete through improvisation.  While they follow signposts on intensity, energy and pitch content that he provides, this practice nonetheless creates an element of intrigue and unpredictability that the composer values highly.  It also assures that each performance of the piece will have a strongly individual profile. 

    The Duo "2" artists have released a studio recording ofPlay of Lightavailable free of charge; please click the link to listen to the audio file on the composer's SoundCloud site.

    Peter H. Bloom gave a lecture on “Effective Writing for Flutes and the Contemporary Flutist” at the 2018 Snow Pond Composers Workshop.  In his presentation, Mr. Bloom discussed various topics using four contemporary works published by Noteworthy Sheet Music, including Play of Light, as examples.  We later published a free text version of this excellent presentation on our website, in the Reviews and Articles section, including some of the audio clips and supplemental written materials that Mr. Bloom used as demonstrations.

    Score, 23 pages; Flute part, 9 pages; Total, 36 pages.

    Preview
     

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    We also offer a print version of Play of Light by Richard Nelson, for those who prefer to purchase the work as a professionally-printed hard copy. Due to prohibitively high international shipping rates, we ship print editions only to addresses in the USA. The cost of the hard copy edition of Play of Light is $25.93, plus a $5.95 shipping and handling fee. Please use the Contact Us form to let us know which print publication(s) you would like to purchase, along with your email contact information and USPS mailing address. We will then send you a PayPal invoice for the sale and, once we receive notice from PayPal that you have paid for the item(s), we will ship your music to the address provided for delivery in 7-10 business days.

  • Dieter - The Golden “Reade” Flute - Flute & Piano

    dieter the golden reade flute nsmThe Golden "Reade" Flute, by Eugene A. Dieter

    Flute Part and Piano Score ― PDF $7.99

    Elmer Reade (1898-1986), to whom The Golden "Reade" Flute is dedicated, served a long and distinguished career, first as a flutist with the U.S. Army Band and then as a conductor and music director of the Air Force Band at Mitchell Field, New York.  Eugene A. Dieter graduated from the first class of the US Army Music School in 1941 and was appointed a bandmaster.  Following the Second World War, Dieter accepted a bandmaster position with the Air Force Band and remained active until his retirement in 1966.  Likely, it was as an Air Force band colleague of Elmer Reade's that Dieter was inspired to compose The Golden "Reade" Flute. (excerpted from the foreword © by P. H. Bloom)

    Not at all militaristic in character, The Golden "Reade" Flute is more a lovely barcarole, a single Andante moderato movement in 6/8 time.  It offers interesting writing for both parts, so flutist and pianist will be equally pleased.  The title refers to the gold flute by William S. Haynes upon which Reade regularly performed.

    Piano score, 4 pages; Flute part, 2 pages. 

    Preview
  • Vercoe – Kleemation – Flute & Piano

    vercoe.kleemation nsmKleemation, by Elizabeth Vercoe

    Original Composition for Flute and Piano

    Flute Part and Piano Score, PDF $16.95

    Kleemation for flute and piano is in five short movements based on five drawings by Paul Klee titled: Goodbye to You, Please!, Afraid on the Beach, More Will Be Marching Soon, and Woman Sowing Weeds.  Described as "highly abstract yet accessible," the piece was commissioned by Austin Peay University in Tennessee and received its premiere there in 2003.  The New England premiere was at the Duxbury Art Museum in 2004 by the duo "2" (flutist Peter H. Bloom and pianist Mary Jane Rupert).  "2" has since performed the piece on tours in the U.S., Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand.  Click to read a testimonial to Elizabeth Vercoe's composition Kleemation written by Mr. Bloom. kleemation cd

    Kleemation was recorded by "2" and can be heard on the PARMA Recordings all-Vercoe CD entitled Kleemation and Other Works by Elizabeth Vercoe.  In an IAWM Journal CD review Dr. Laura G. Kafkawrites: “Vercoe musically renders Klee’s drawings with all the humor, fear, and reality that make each one leap from its canvas and dance.”  Click to read Dr. Kafka’s full review. In another review published by Audiophile Audition magazine on September 26, 2013, Lee Passarella writes: "Vercoe (b. 1941) also shows a willingness to adapt different musical styles and elements to her basic idiom: the essential atonality of her music is leavened with some well-chosen pop influences where appropriate to the subject matter at hand.  That includes Kleemation, a work based on drawings by Swiss modernist painter Paul Klee.  Klee's sometimes whimsical, sometimes troubling art turns for its inspiration to the uninhibited world of the child artist." 

    Listen to an audio sample of Kleemationmp3 icon from the opening of the title piece.

    Piano score, 27 pages; Flute part, 11 pages; Total, 44 pages; PDF $16.95.

    Preview


    For those who would prefer to purchase a printed hard copy of this piece, rather than the PDF download offered here, our print edition of Kleemation for Flute and Piano by Elizabeth Vercoe is availabledirectly from NSM for $26.99 plus a $5.95 shipping and handling fee.  Due to prohibitively high international shipping rates, we ship print editions only to addresses in the USA. Please use the Contact Us form to let us know which hard copy publication(s) you would like to purchase, along with your email contact information and USPS mailing address.  We will then send you a PayPal invoice for the sale and, once we receive notice from PayPal that you have paid for the item(s), we will ship your music to the address provided.

  • Foster - Old Folks; Oh! Susanna - Vo/Pf/Fl/Vc

    Foster - Old Folks; Oh! Susanna - Vo/Pf/Fl/VcOld Folks at Home and Oh! Susanna, by Stephen Foster

    Arranged with Flute and Cello ad lib by John W. Pratt

    Flute Parts, Cello Parts, Voice Parts, and Piano Scores ― PDF $7.99

    The following excerpts are taken from John W. Pratt's foreword to the edition:

     

    When a Golden Oldie comes to mind, Doo-dah! Doo-dah!

    Comic, sad, or any kind, Oh!  Doo-dah-day!

    Jeanie, Swanee, Kentucky, Joe,  Doo-dah!  Doo-dah!

    Beautiful, dreamy, fast, or slow, Oh!  Doo-dah-day!

    I'll bet I know who wrote it, he wrote them night and day,

    Stephen Foster wrote it, he'll never go away.

     

    Stephen Foster was born in Lawrenceville, Pa., on July 4, 1826...He wrote over 200 songs, including 135 parlor songs, 28 minstrel songs, and 21 hymns and Sunday school songs. A remarkable number are memorable, as the ditty above will attest to anyone with anything like my background. One wonders why. The harmonies and rhythms are basic, as are the forms and rhyme schemes (see above), the music is repetitious, and the vocal range rarely goes outside an octave (a great benefit for community singing). Yet the fit is so natural and the pacing so well judged that the songs are ideally effective and diabolically catchy. Foster is perhaps, though on a different plane, the Mozart of his field...

    For a pianist playing several stanzas at a sing-along, Foster's songs do become a little dull. But their very simplicity, repetitiousness, and familiarity abet variation as, again on a different plane, chorales serve Bach chorale preludes. Like chorale preludes, the piano parts here always incorporate the melody, so they can be played solo or to accompany amateur singers. It struck me that they could be enhanced by optional flute parts. After writing them, I discovered that, according to his brother Morrison, Foster himself "delighted in playing accompaniments on the flute...As the song went on he would improvise...the most beautiful variations upon its musical theme." If Foster's improvisations were like the one his brother published, however, they just varied the melody itself in the manner of the period. My game is more ambitious, as you will easily see. I added optional cello parts, mostly for color, as in the Haydn trios but superficially more interesting for the cellist. (Again we are on a different plane, of course.)

    "Oh! Susanna," one of the best-known American songs by anybody, is Foster's "Erlkönig." (Speak of different planes!) With its nonsensical lyrics and polka beat, it is clearly comical, and I treated it accordingly. It was written in Cincinnati, possibly for a social club, first performed at an ice cream saloon in Pittsburgh in 1847, and published in 1848. When no American song had sold over 5,000 copies, it sold over 100,000. It earned Foster only $100, but its popularity led to a publisher's offer, convincing him to become a professional songwriter, America's first.

    "Old Folks at Home" established Foster as a truly American composer. It was written in 1851 for a blackface troupe whose leader paid Foster about $15 to be credited for it. When almost finished, Foster asked his brother for "a good name of two syllables for a Southern river." He rejected Yazoo and Pedee, but was delighted with Swanee, a shortening of Suwanee, a small river in Florida which his brother found in an atlas. Though about a slave's nostalgia for home, I find its theme universal and melancholy and I resisted the temptation to jazz it up. Please try, at least, a slowish tempo.

    ― John W. Pratt, May 27, 2013 ©

    Flute parts, 2 pages; Cello parts, 2 pages; Voice parts, 2 pages; Scores, 7 pages; Total, 18 pages.

    Preview
  • Vercoe – Duos – 2 Flutes, Oboes, or Clarinets

    vercoe1Woodwind Duos, by Elizabeth Vercoe

    Original Compositions for 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, or 2 Clarinets, $0.00 (free!)

    Elizabeth Vercoe's Duos for woodwinds are available as free downloads from the composer's own website at http://www.elizabethvercoe.com/.  Dr. Vercoe kindly offered to allow Noteworthy Sheet Music, LLC to make these duets available from our website as well.

    The Duos, in versions for two flutes, two oboes, or two clarinets, are "fun and quite easy. They are suitable for intermediate students."

    Photo of Elizabeth Vercoe courtesy of Caroline Alden.

    Just click on the links below to download the Duos at no charge; each PDF includes all 5 short duets:

    Duos for 2 Flutes
    Duos for 2 Oboes
    Duos for 2 Clarinets
  • Vercoe – Duos – Two Flutes

    vercoe1Duos, by Elizabeth Vercoe

    Original Compositions for 2 Flutes, $0.00 (free!)

    Elizabeth Vercoe's Duos for two flutes are available as free downloads from the composer's own website at http://www.elizabethvercoe.com/.  Dr. Vercoe kindly offered to allow Noteworthy Sheet Music, LLC to make these duets available from our website as well.  The Duos are "fun and quite easy. They are suitable for intermediate students."

    Photo of Elizabeth Vercoe courtesy of Caroline Alden.

    Just click on the links below to download the Duos at no charge:

    Duos 1-5  for 2 flutes
  • Bloom - From the Drawer - Tenor or Soprano and Saxophone Quartet

    Bloom From-the-Drawer Voice-Saxophones nsmFrom the Drawer, for Voice and Saxophones, by Peter H. Bloom

    Contemporary Composition for Tenor or Soprano, with Saxophone Quartet

    Score and Parts, PDF $13.99

    Boston-based flutist Peter H. Bloom created two versions of his composition From the Drawer, the edition listed here for Tenor or Soprano with Saxophone Quartet (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, and baritone saxophone) and a second edition for Tenor or Soprano with Flute (doubling Piccolo), Clarinet, Bassoon, and Horn; both editions have been published by Noteworthy Sheet Music. The score provides a musical setting for the intensely emotional poem by Constantine Cavafy. The composer suggests that the vocalist (depending on his or her performance style/background/aesthetic judgment) should free to employ amplification at his/her discretion. 

     

    Here are Mr. Bloom's comments about From the Drawer, taken from his preface (Copyright © 2015) to the edition:

    "Constantine Cavafy’s 1923 poem, From the Drawer, captures the acerbic condition of longing, the impossibly private nature of affection, and the occultation of time. Its poignancy is universal; transcending gender, age, era, place, and even translation. Rather than rely on one particular translation of Cavafy’s text, I’ve drawn on a number of versions to arrive at a paraphrase that both informs and is shaped by the musical score.

    The musical setting is a sonic image of the intensely emotional response to a flood of memory that informs the poet’s narrative: now pensive, now anxious, now wistful, now joyous, now fraught, now resigned, and ever mercurial."  P. H. Bloom, September 19, 2015

    Score, 14 pages; Tenor or Soprano part, 2 pages; Soprano Saxophone part, 4 pages; Alto Saxophone part, 3 pages; Tenor Saxophone part, 3 pages; Baritone Saxophone part, 3 pages; Total, 29 pages.

    Preview

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    We also offer a professionally-printed hard copy edition of From the Drawer for $23.78 plus a $5.95 shipping and handling fee. Due to prohibitively high international shipping rates, we ship print editions only to addresses in the USA. Please use the Contact Us form to let us know which hard copy publication(s) you would like to purchase, along with your email contact information and USPS mailing address. We will then send you a PayPal invoice for the sale and, once we receive notice from PayPal that you have paid for the item(s), we will ship your music to the address provided.

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  • Bloom - Ablaze She Came in the Dream - Flute, Cello, and Guitar

    Bloom Ablaze-Fl-Vc-Guit nsmAblaze She Came in the Dream, by Peter H. Bloom

    Contemporary Composition for Flute, Cello, and Guitar (or Electric Guitar)

    Flute, Cello, & Guitar Parts, and Score, PDF $22.97

    Ablaze She Came in the Dream by flutist Peter H. Bloom was scored in its original version for flute, viola, and guitar.  This intriguing piece comprises eleven brief episodes, which may be repeated any number of times.  It is intended to serve as an interpretive vehicle for the performers and thus should be executed freely and expressively.  Ablaze received its premier performance in November, 2014, in Boston as part of the Church of the Advent Library Concert Series and featured Mr. Bloom on flute, Frank Grimes on viola, and Anastasiya Dumma on electric guitar.

    In the spring of 2016, NSM received a request for a cello version of Ablaze; we complied by creating, in collaboration with the composer, an adaptation for flute, cello, and guitar.  Ablaze is not only an exciting piece to hear, it's fun to play as well.  Both the viola and cello editions are suitable for adventurous, advanced players.  Those wishing to purchase one of our Ablaze editions and then order an additional alternative viola or cello part for a small charge should use the Contact Us form to let us know; we'll make arrangements to accommodate your request.

    Score, 23 pages; Flute Part, 11 pages; Guitar Part, 12 pages; Cello Part, 12 pages; Total, 66 pages.

    Preview
  • Beach - 3 Compositions - Alto Flute & Piano

    beach op40 nsm 245px3 Compositions, Op.40, by Amy Beach

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

    Piano Score and Alto Flute Part, PDF $10.50

    Amy Marcy Cheney was born in Henniker, New Hampshire in 1867 and began composing music at the age of four.  Initially home-schooled as a pianist, she continued her music studies in Boston and made her professional debut as a pianist at age 16.   She later became a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  At 18, she married the prominent Boston physician Dr. Henry Harris Aubrey Beach and began using "Mrs. H. H. A. Beach" as her professional name.  She continued to perform occasionally as a pianist, but for many years she focused her musical skills primarily on composing.   After her husband's death in 1910, Mrs. Beach resumed her performing career, beginning with a three year tour of Europe, while also continuing to write music.   Her works were received with great acclaim, and Amy Beach became one of America's leading composers and the first American woman composer to achieve widespread recognition in the United States and abroad.   During her lifetime, she wrote more than 150 numbered works, spanning a variety of genres that included piano pieces, chamber music, orchestral works, sacred choral music, and a great many songs.

    Amy Beach's 3 Compositions for Violin and Piano, Op.40, were first published in 1898.   Written in the romantic style, the three pieces are (1) the beautiful but sombre La Captive, (2) a lovely, lyrical Berceuse, and (3) a lively but still tender Mazurka.  In addition to alto flute transcriptions of all three pieces, we include in our edition a version of the Mazurka transcribed for flute and piano (score and part), for those wishing to give this option a try as well.

    Alto Flute part, 4 pages; Piano/Alto Flute Score, 10 pages;

    Alternate "Mazurka" Flute part, 2 pages; "Mazurka" Piano/Flute Score, 5 pages;

    Total, 29 pages.

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  • Bauer - Sonata - Alto Flute

    bauer op.22 nsmSonata, Op.22, by Marion Bauer

    Transcribed for Alto Flute by Peter H. Bloom (originally for viola)

    Alto Flute Part, PDF $11.79

    The following notes are excerpted, with permission, from the complete copyrighted foreword written by Peter H. Bloom for the Noteworthy Sheet Music edition of his transcription:

    "The career of Marion Eugenie Bauer (1882-1955) as a composer, editor, writer, teacher, supportive colleague and mentor continues to assert a significant impact on the trajectory of American Music.  It's mysterious that her legacy has been so rarely recalled and her music so infrequently performed in the six decades following her death.  ...  In 1906 she was the first of generations of American composers to study in Paris with the redoubtable Nadia Boulanger.  ...  We're fortunate that the composer crafted her own superb transcription of this sonata for clarinet and piano.  In order to achieve the equivalent musical impact, her viola and clarinet versions differ in some places.  The piano part, nevertheless, remains unchanged.  Sometimes we've opted for the clarinet version, sometimes the viola version, and sometimes a conflation of the two.  We have also made a few adaptive changes in tessitura, articulation, phrasing and dynamics to highlight the unique voice of the alto flute.  Though execution may occasionally differ, the rhetorical and emotional shape of the work remains essentially the same."

    P. H. Bloom, © January 7, 2014

    We provide our alto flute transcription; the piano part is readily available as a free pdf download of the score from sources such as imslp.org/.   

    Alto Flute part, 9 pages of music; Total, 12 pages.

    Preview

     

  • Bloom - Ablaze She Came in the Dream - Flute, Viola, and Guitar

    Bloom Ablaze nsm245rAblaze She Came in the Dream, by Peter H. Bloom

    Contemporary Composition for Flute, Viola, and Guitar (or Electric Guitar)

    Flute, Viola, & Guitar Parts and Score, PDF $22.97

    Flutist Peter H. Bloom is no stranger to Noteworthy Sheet Music or to our customers, as he has contributed several popular arrangements and transcriptions to our catalog and he also serves as an editorial consultant for NSM.

    Now we are very pleased to offer this newly published (2014) and highly intriguing original composition by Mr. Bloom entitled Ablaze She Came in the Dream.  The piece comprises eleven brief episodes written for the unusual trio combination of flute, viola, and guitar (or electric guitar).   Ablaze is intended to serve as an interpretive vehicle for the performers and thus should be executed freely and expressively.   The work is suitable for advanced players.

    Click to access a recording of the premier performance of Ablaze which took place on November 21, 2014 in Boston, MA, as part of the Church of the Advent Library Concert Series.  The performance features Peter H. Bloom on flute, Frank Grimes on viola, and Anastasiya Dumma on electric guitar.

    Score, 23 pages; Flute Part, 11 pages; Guitar Part, 12 pages; Viola Part, 12 pages; Total, 66 pages.

    Preview

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    We also offer a professionally-printed hard copy edition of Ablaze She Came in the Dream for $45.88 plus a $5.95 shipping and handling fee. Due to prohibitively high international shipping rates, we ship print editions only to addresses in the USA. Please use the Contact Us form to let us know which hard copy publication(s) you would like to purchase, along with your email contact information and USPS mailing address. We will then send you a PayPal invoice for the sale and, once we receive notice from PayPal that you have paid for the item(s), we will ship your music to the address provided for delivery in 7-10 business days.