April 2
Vocalise
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
Sergei Rachmaninoff was born on this day in 1873. Known both as a pianist and composer, his works exemplify Russian late Romanticism. The Vocalise, originally written for voice without words and piano, has been transcribed for countless instrumental combinations. The simple and poignant melody is supported by Rachmaninoff’s characteristic lush harmonic language that makes his style so attractive and recognizable.
Performed by Jennifer Parker-Harley and Winifred Goodwin, piano
Recorded by John Epps
April 10
Scherzando from Douze Etudes
Jacques Castérède (1926-2014)
Jacques Castérède was born on this day in 1962 in Paris, France. Romantic, but quite modern, his studies for flute can be very technical and rhythmic. His music is essentially melodic, often using modal scales over rich and varied rhythmic structures. This short and quirky etude has the dance-like qualities of a scherzando, but unexpected, multi-metered shifts create an unpredictable approach to the standard form. These studies are charming and work well as short stand alone performance pieces.
Performed by Roya Farzaneh
NFA Rep Guide Levels F-J
April 13
Mollitude
Frederic Rzewski (1938-2021)
American composer and pianist Frederic Rzewski was born on this day in 1938. Mollitude for solo flute was composed in 2006 for Molly Barth, founding member of the new music sextet eighth blackbird. Mollitude showcases a wide range of possibilities on the flute from the lowest notes to the highest, fast virtuosic passages followed by extremely soft and delicate harmonic tones, and percussive sounds marked in the score as “(stomp)”
Performed by Lauren Watkins Vaughn
April 14
Petal Shower from This Floating World
Edie Hill (b. 1962)
Minnesota-based, award-winning composer Edie Hill celebrates her birthday today. Her work is noted for its ethereal expressivity. This Floating World, for solo flute, are musical illustrations of five haiku by the great Japanese poet Basho (translations by Robert Hass). Petal Shower is the fourth movement of this work.
Performed by Jennifer Parker-Harley
Recorded by Jeff Francis
NFA Rep Guide Level J
April 24
April 26
Silver Tunes
Erlund von Koch (1910-2009)
Erlund von Koch was born on this day in Sweden in 1910. He worked in several capacities as a musician: composer of both concert and film music, professor, sound engineer and choir master. This piece, Silver Tunes, is in four movements that reference times of day: Dawn, Sun Dance, Twilight and Night Winds. Von Koch composed every day, even into his 90’s, and his motto was to “keep the melody” – the beautiful melodies are written in ranges of the flute that allow them to sing easily, making these little pieces so satisfying to play!
Performed by Jennifer Parker-Harley
Record by Jeff Francis