MUSIC Compositons
Flute & Piano
Recorder Orchestra/Ensemble
Compositions are presented in chronological order.
HISTORIC CHRISTMAS CAROLS - NEW SETTINGS FOR FLUTE AND PIANO
Composed by Helen-Jean Talbott
Date Published: 2009
Instrumentation: flute and piano
I combined original material with historic tunes to create this set of three beautiful new arrangements for church and performance settings. Flute and piano players are equal partners in presenting the melodic material.
Published by: Falls House Press, now part of Theodore Presser Co.
id code: FH0465
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Duration : 4:00
The name of the melody, or hymn tune, used for the advent carol O Come, O Come, Emmanuel found today in many church hymnals is Veni Emmanuel. Each of my three presentations of Veni Emmanuel explores a different mood— longing, despair, and darkness resolving into hope and light.
Wexford Carol
Duration: 4:20
Wexford Carol is a traditional Irish Christmas carol, with English lyrics dating back to the 12th century. You might recognize the opening line of text, “Good people all this Christmas time.” I varied the texture in each presentation of the tune in my composition – solo flute, solo piano, flute and piano together. The piece begins with solo flute and includes grace-note ornaments inspired by traditional Irish flute music.
On This Day Earth Shall RIng & 'Twas in the moon of Wintertime
Duration: 3:11
On This Day Earth Shall Ring is based on the hymn tune Personent Hodie, a well-known processional for men and boys. ‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime is based on the hymn tune Huron Carol, which was composed around 1642 by St. Jean de Brebeuf, a Jesuit missionary to the Huron Indians. For my arrangement the two tunes represent two distinct sets of families, and I image a storyteller recounting when these people gathered for a joyful traditional winter celebration.
Abbreviations for names of recorder instruments:
Si = Sopranino, S = Soprano, A = Alto, T = Tenor, B =Bass, GB = Great Bass, Cb = Contrabass
REVERIE
Composed by Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918)
1890, first published 1891.
Title "Rêverie pour le Piano"
Date of my arrangement: 2013
Duration: 4:39
Instrumentation: S.A.T.T.B.GB.Cb.
Solo and tutti sections for each part.
May also be played with one player per part, although you will lose some of the dynamic contrasts.
Winner, ARS is 75! Composition Contest, Recorder Orchestra Category
This is the first piece I chose to arrange for recorder orchestra.
Reverie is one of Claude Debussy's most popular piano works. I became familiar with this evocative music by playing a beautiful arrangement for flute and piano. My flute part contained all the flowing melodic lines. My pianist got to play the intricate arpeggios across many octaves of the piano, but seldom the melody. In my arrangement for recorder orchestra, I wanted to share the melody among several different instruments. The range of arpeggio notes also gave me the opportunity to engage all members of the recorder orchestra — from contrabass to soprano.
Published by: American Recorder Society
id code: MLE52
Available for free: https://www.americanrecorder.org/docs/52-HJTalbott-Reverie-ARS75.pdf
Pavane pour une infante défunte
Composed by Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937)
Commissioned 1899 (for piano), Premiered 1902, Orchestrated 1910.
Title: "Pavane pour une infante défunte" (Pavanne for a Dead Princess)
Date of my arrangement: 2014 (copyright 2015)
Duration: 5:32
Instrumentation: S.A.T.T.T.B.B.GB.Cb.
Solo and tutti sections for each part.
May also be played with one player per part, although you will lose some of the dynamic contrasts.
"Pavane" refers to the moderate pace of the renaissance pavane dance form. Ravel intended his title to be a reference to a young Spanish princess who lived a long time ago, rather than a lament for a child. In my arrangement for recorder orchestra the melody begins in Tenor 1. Soon Alto and Tenor 1 converse, and by measure 23 all parts participate and continue until the end of the piece. Changes in tempo support the beautiful melodic lines. Modern performances of Ravel's composition vary considerably in duration. The piano roll of the composer's own performance of the piece in 1922 is approximately five minutes and forty seconds, as is my setting.
Published by: Peacock Press (Recorder Music Mail)
id code: P 571
You can order direct from their online shop. Located in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. http://www.recordermail.co.uk
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 — I. Morning Mood
Composed by Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907)
1875 (as part of the incidental music for the play Peer Gynt)
Peer Gynt Suite extracted in 1888
Title: Morgenstemning i ørkenen – Morning mood in the desert
Date of my arrangement: 2015
Duration: 3:48
Instrumentation: Si.S.S.A.T.B.GB.Cb.
Solo and tutti sections for each part.
May also be played with one player per part, although you will lose some of the dynamic contrasts.
Morning Mood of Peer Gynt Suite No.1 originally was the Prelude to Act IV of the incidental music composed by Grieg for Henrik Ibsen's verse drama Peer Gynt. The beautiful pastoral melody depicts sunrise over the North African desert for the play, but we can image that this sunrise occurs in any beautiful place. My arrangement opens with soprano 2 playing the melody. Eventually all players have melodic lines to play, including Grieg's sweeping arpeggio sections.
Published by: Peacock Press (Recorder Music Mail)
id code: P 586
Available: You can order direct from their online shop. Located in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. www.recordermail.co.uk
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 — II. Death of Åse
Composed by Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907)
1875 (as part of the incidental music for the play Peer Gynt)
Peer Gynt Suite extracted in 1888
Title: Åses død (The Death of Åse)
Date of my arrangement: 2015
Duration: 3:38
Instrumentation: S.A.T.B.B.GB.Cb.
Solo and tutti sections for each part.
May also be played with one player per part, although you will lose some of the dynamic contrasts.
In the play Peer Gynt, Åse is the mother of Peer Gynt. Grieg scored this beautiful lament using only strings, with mutes (except for the bass). In my arrangement the simple melody is repeated three times — first by Bass 1 recorders, then Tenor, and finally by Alto and Soprano.
Published by: Peacock Press (Recorder Music Mail)
id code: P 587
Available: You can order direct from their online shop located in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. www.recordermail.co.uk
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 — III. Anitra's Dance
Composed by Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907)
1875 (as part of the incidental music for the play Peer Gynt)
Peer Gynt Suite extracted in 1888
Title: Anitras dans (Anitra's Dance)
Date of my arrangement: 2015
Duration: 3:17
Instrumentation: S.A.T.B.GB.Cb. with triangle
Solo and tutti sections for each part.
May also be played with one player per part, although you will lose some of the dynamic contrasts.
In the play for which this music was composed, the character Peer Gynt encounters a princess named Anitra, who charms him and dances for him. This delightful dance music is fun for performers and audience. Included in my arrangement is a triangle part which also shows the melody, making it easier for the part-time triangle-player in your recorder ensemble. Grace-note ornaments and accidentals make it interesting for recorder players to learn.
Published by: Peacock Press (Recorder Music Mail)
id code: P 588
Available: You can order direct from their online shop. Located in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. www.recordermail.co.uk
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 — IV. In the Hall of the Mountain King
Composed by Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907)
1875 (as part of the incidental music for the play Peer Gynt)
Peer Gynt Suite extracted in 1888
Title: I Dovregubbens hall
[not a literal translation], Dovregubben is a Troll King
known as in the Hall of the Mountain King
Date of my arrangement: 2015
Duration: 2:21
Instrumentation: Si.S.A.T.B.GB.Cb.
Solo and tutti sections for each part.
May also be played with one player per part, although you will lose some of the dynamic contrasts.
In the Hall of the Mountain King is one of Grieg's most popular melodies. My arrangement for recorder orchestra begins with melody in the contrabass. (They enjoy playing this part). As the piece progresses, more instruments join, so that by measure 50 all the parts, including sopranino, are involved. This piece starts slow and small, but builds over time to a grand finish.
Published by: Peacock Press (Recorder Music Mail)
id code: P 589
Available: You can order direct from their online shop. Located in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. www.recordermail.co.uk
Souvenir de Porto Rico (Marche des Gibaros)
Composed by Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829 - 1869)
Composed 1857, published 1860
Title: Souvenir de Porto Rico (Marche des Gibaros),
for piano Op. 31
Date of my arrangement: 2016
Duration: 6:08
Instrumentation: T.T.T.B.B.B.GB.Cb. / S.A.T.T.B.B.GB.Cb. with instrument changes
Tenor 3 becomes Soprano, Bass 3 becomes Alto.
Solo and tutti sections for each part.
May also be played with one player per part, although you will lose some of the dynamic contrasts.
This piece incorporates two themes (one borrowed from a Puerto Rican folk song) and uses a combination of Latin and Afro-American rhythms . It begins and ends in a simple manner with low recorders. Over time the rhythms become increasingly complex and interesting as the texture becomes more dense with the addition of higher recorders. It's very joyful music and reminds me of a parade and a carnival.
Published by: Peacock Press (Recorder Music Mail)
id code: P606
Available: You can order direct from their online shop. Located in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. www.recordermail.co.uk
Tango from España Op. 165
Composed by Isaac Albéniz (1860 - 1909)
Published 1890
Title: España —Six Album Leaves, Opus 165, No. 2 "Tango"
Date of my arrangement: 2017
Duration: 2:12
Instrumentation: A.T.T.B.B.GB.Cb.
Tango became the most popular of the six pieces in Albéniz' España cycle for piano solo. Rhythms and ornaments are very typical of well-known tango compositions. I chose to keep the recorder instrumentation lower for this arrangement, in keeping with the tranquil and sensual character of this music. The melody begins with Bass 1, and the highest recorder is the alto. Overall tactus is steady, but there should be some flexibility in the beats, with an opportunity for rubato.
Published by: Peacock Press (Recorder Music Mail)
id code: P 641
Available: You can order direct from their online shop. Located in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. www.recordermail.co.uk