Repertoire Series: Flute Wednesday, August 03, 2011
There are literally hundreds of pieces written and published for flute that could be considered standard repertoire, but in order to keep this article at a reasonable length, we will begin by featuring only a few pieces.
As young flute students mature in their abilities to handle more and more difficult music, many may have played through standard pieces such as Mozart's Concerto # 2, Poulenc's “Sonata,†Hindemith's “Sonata,†and of course Telemann's “Suite in A minor.†All of these pieces have a substantial place on the list of “standard repertoire,†but there are other pieces that bring a certain difficulty level found in more modern composition: Chaminade's “Concertino,†Vaughan Williams' “Suite de Ballet,†Prokofiev's “Sonata in D major,†Muczynski's “Sonata for Flute,†and Rutter's “Suite Antique.â€
Mastering standard repertoire pieces helps young students to build knowledge of the literature itself. Each piece aids students in developing style, expression, phrasing, tone and technique as they study and gain more abilities on their instrument. Other pieces such as Mozart's Concerto in D major, Handel's “Seven Sonata and Famous Largo,†and Telemann's “Suite in A minor†add to a student's ability to perform with a sense of period-appropriate style.
As high school students prepare for college auditions and continue on as music majors, they will likely have a chance to prepare many of these pieces. Encouraging your students to become familiar with these standards as soon as they are able will give them a “head-start†in their musical career!