Not-Pooh Songs, by Tom Schnauber
For Female Voice and Flute or Female Voice and Oboe, 2 editions
Score for Female Voice and Flute, PDF $18.46
Score for Female Voice and Oboe, PDF $18.46
Tom Schnauber’s Not-Pooh Songs are absolutely delightful. The composer has set to music six children’s poems by A. A. Milne, four from When We Were Very Very Young (“The Alchemist”, “The Mirror”, “The Four Friends”, and “If I Were King”) and two from Now We Are Six ("The Charcoal Burner" and "The Engineer"). The work is offered by Noteworthy Sheet Music, LLC in two publications, one for female voice and flute, the other for female voice and oboe. The oboe line is sufficiently different from the flute line in terms of register to warrant it being published as a separate edition (i.e., the flute version makes use of that instrument’s wider range by putting some material in higher octaves). Also, the flute edition includes an alternate variation of “The Mirror” for voice and alto flute, whereas the oboe edition includes an alternate variation of “The Mirror” for voice and English horn.
It’s clear from hearing this music that Schnauber gets a real kick out of Milne’s poetry. The flute/oboe comments, echoes, etc. go with or against the voice line very effectively and entertainingly. These songs will have broad appeal to both players and audiences, and there’s a lot that a pair of performers could do with them. The music isn’t easy, but provides just the sort of challenges that the adventuresome player loves; in places, for example, the flute jumps from C7 to C4, plays multiphonics, and executes finger snaps. But, as the composer has pointed out, just because the music is somewhat demanding doesn’t mean that it should be presented seriously in performance; on the contrary, players should have fun with these pieces and convey the intended joy and playfulness of the work.
Note that both performers are to play from the score, so flutists and oboists may want to print their copy of the score single-sided to avoid a few difficult page turns.
To listen to a recording of Not-Pooh Songs performed by Mitsi Westra, voice, and Pamela French, oboe, visit Tom Schnauber’s SoundCloud page at https://soundcloud.com/user-557772917/sets/not-pooh-songs.
► Schnauber - Not-Pooh Songs - Voice and Flute - PDF
Preview: Not-Pooh Songs for Voice and Flute, p1
Score for female voice and flute, 22 pages; Lyrics, 2 pages; Total, 28 pages.
► Schnauber - Not-Pooh Songs - Voice and Oboe - PDF
Preview: Not-Pooh Songs for Voice and Oboe, p7
Score for female voice and oboe, 22 pages; Lyrics, 2 pages; Total 28 pages
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