Rondo in B minor, D.895, by Franz Schubert
Transcribed for Flute (and Piano) by J.W.Pratt and C.A.Vater
Flute Part, PDF $11.99
The Rondo in B minor, D.895 (alternatively known as Rondeau brillant) was written for violin and piano in 1826 by the great Austrian composer Franz Peter Schubert. Dedicated to the young violin virtuoso Josef Slawjk, the Rondo is demanding in both the solo and piano parts. The work consists of an Andante introduction and an Allegro rondo, and is quite long at 713 measures and typically some thirteen minutes or more in duration. Inexplicably, the piece is less familiar to players and audiences than many of Schubert’s other works. Brian Newbould, renowned composer, conductor, author, and Schubert expert, wrote of the Rondo in his treatise Schubert: The Music and the Man (University of California Press, Jan 1, 1997, p365): “Not surprisingly, perhaps, it is little known because it is seldom played. But it is also undervalued: it scintillates, dances and sings, with a blend of infectious joy, tireless energy, rhythmic zip and ‒ from time to time ‒ heart-melting turns of melody and harmony.”
These characteristics and the way the music realizes them are not only suitable to but often even suggestive of a wind instrument. Our transcription provides effective flute-friendly alternatives for the violin’s double-stops as well as for notes that fall below the flute’s range, so the piece can be played comfortably and beautifully on flute. The Rondo is virtuosic in places, showy and exciting, and overall great fun to play. The Noteworthy Sheet Music edition of our transcribed flute part does not include a re-notated copy of the score, since high-quality PDFs of the piano and violin score are freely available in the public domain and are sufficient to use along with our flute part, in lieu of violin. To download one such PDF of the score, please visit the Rondo’s page on IMSLP.
Flute part, 12 pages; Total 14 pages.
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