Cécile Chaminade, born on this day in 1857, was the first female composer to receive the Légion d’Honneur, the highest order of merit from the French government. While better known for her flute Concertino, this smaller piece is a lovely example of her French romantic composition style.
Performed by Jennifer Parker-Harley
Recorded by Jeff Francis
Jacques Ibert, born on this day in 1890, was a successful French composer. Pièce, according to an oft-told legend, was supposedly written over the course of a dinner party celebrating the premiere of Ibert’s flute concerto and was sight-read by Marcel Moyse on the same night. Regardless of the legend, this charming solo is a perfect reflection of Ibert’s neo-classical style and represents a large body of work inspired by the master flutist, Moyse.
Brianna Futch received her MM degree from USC in 2018.
Today we celebrate the birthday of Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy. Dennehy is the founder of Crash Ensemble, Ireland’s premier new music ensemble, and serves on the faculty of Princeton University. fAt was written for Irish flutist, William Dowdall and electronics in 2000.
Jenny Davis is a DMA student at the University of South Carolina.
Henri Tomasi, born on August 17, 1901, was French composer and true contemporary of his time. He was a founder of the influential music group, Triton, alongside Prokofiev, Milhaud, Honegger, and Poulenc. As the title suggests, Tomasi was inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s writings about India and his perception of Indian tonality. He weaves these sounds into a lament and then a dance, ending with a cadenza-like coda. Emily Stumpf and Yewon Kerr received DMA degrees from the University of South Carolina.
Georges Enesco, born on this day in 1881, is widely regarded as one of the most successful Romanian composers of all time. He studied composition at the Paris Conservatory until 1899 and in 1904 was commissioned to write his Cantabile et Presto as the flute examination piece for that year. This piece showcases many aspects of the flute as well as the romantic style that was popular in Paris at the time. Jenny Davis is a DMA student at the University of South Carolina.
Claude Debussy was born on this day in 1862. He is most well known for his impressionistic style of composition and his extension of the contemporary limits of harmony and form through the usage of non-traditional scales and chromaticism. The Three Pieces for Flute and Piano are a transcription of movements from two different suites for piano. This movement, Menuet, is from his Petite Suite, L. 65 for four-hands.
Performed by Brianna Futch, flute and Claudio Olivera, piano
