alto flute

Canzonetta, Op.19, by G. Pierné

Transcribed for Alto Flute and Piano by C.A.Vater

Piano Score and Alto Flute Part, PDF $6.99

Gabriel Pierné composed his Canzonetta for clarinet and piano (Op.19) in 1888, and it is among his most charming lighter works.  The number of commercial recordings of the piece attest to its enduring popularity, extending into the modern era.  Pierné dedicated this short, cheerful little song to his friend Charles Turban (1845-1905), the French clarinetist and professor of clarinet at the Paris Conservatory.  The main melody is bouncy and gay, and brings merriment to players and audiences alike.  Others have created transcriptions for alto sax and for flute.  The piece is just as delightful when played on alto flute, and we now offer our new edition for alto flute and piano.  Canzonetta would make a great encore piece for a concert or recital.

Alto Flute Part, 2 pages; Piano Score, 5 pages; Total, 10 pages. 

Pièce, Op.5, by Gabriel Pierné 

Transcribed for Alto Flute and Piano by Carol A. Vater

Piano Score and Alto Flute Part, PDF $6.99

The Pièce en sol mineur for oboe (or violin or cello) with accompaniment of piano was composed by Gabriel Pierné in 1883.  The alto flute is especially well-suited to this delightful, romantic piece, which falls completely and comfortably within the alto flute's range.  Our edition includes both the alto flute part and the piano score.   

Piano score, 5 pages; Alto Flute part, 2 pages; Total, 12 pages.

Albumblatt, by Max Reger

Transcribed for Alto Flute and Piano by Carol A. Vater

Piano Score and Alto Flute Part, PDF $3.97

This gorgeous and surprisingly complex Albumblatt in E-flat major was written by Max Reger in ~1902 and originally scored for clarinet and piano.  The piece is beautifully-suited to the range and sonority of the alto flute, and we provide here both our alto flute transcription of the clarinet part and a re-notated edition of the piano score.

Piano score, 2 pages; Alto Flute part, 1 page; Total, 5 pages.

Romanze, by Max Reger

Transcribed for Alto Flute in G and Piano by C.A.Vater

Alto Flute Part and Piano Score, PDF $4.99

Reger's Romanze is a lovely, short piece in G major, consisting of a single movement, Andante con moto. Written in 1902 for violin (or cello) and piano, the work was published by Breitkopf und Härtel ca.1920 and is now in the public domain. Numerous arrangements and transcriptions of the Romanze, including those for C-flute, trumpet, cello, clarinet, viola, or alto saxophone and piano, and even one for oboe and accordion, attest to the piece's popularity. The Romanze works beautifully on alto flute, and Noteworthy Sheet Music's 2016 edition includes both our transcribed alto flute part and a re-notated piano score.

Cover image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, PD-old: "Bavarian Landscape", by Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902).

Alto Flute Part, 1 page; Score 2 pages; Total, 6 pages.

Suite in A Minor, Op.103a, by Max Reger

Transcribed for Alto Flute (and Piano) by Carol A. Vater

Alto Flute Part, PDF $11.98

The Suite in A Minor for violin and piano by Max Reger was first published in 1908. The piece has been performed and recorded on flute, and arrangements of the beautiful Aria (3rd movement) have been published for violin and orchestra, as well as for cello and piano or organ. The piece is also highly suited to the rich, mellow sonorities of the alto flute. We offer here our transcription of all six movements of the violin part for alto flute. The piano part is readily available in the public domain as a free pdf download of the score for violin and piano. Here is a link to one such source: Piano Score

Alto Flute part, 12 pages; Total, 14 pages.

Waldesgruss and Frühlingsblumen, Op.26, by C. Reinecke

Facsimile Edition plus Transcriptions for Flute & Alto Flute by C.A.Vater

Score for Violin, Voice, & Piano, Violin Part, Flute & Alto Flute Parts, PDF $9.98

Carl Reinecke (1824-1910) was a renowned German pianist, composer, conductor, and teacher of composition.  He composed numerous works, and for over 35 years was a leader of the music scene in Leipzig.  Reinecke's Op.26 includes two songs for voice with accompaniment of violin and piano: No.1, Waldesgruss (The Forest's Greeting); and No.2, Frühlingsblumen (Spring Flowers). The vocal range of Reinecke's Op.26 lieder extends from C4 to A5, and thus is well-suited for either soprano or mezzo-soprano.

Our edition contains an "enhanced" facsimile of the original score and violin part, plus new transcriptions of the violin part for either alto flute or flute.  Thus, the two songs may be performed utilizing the accompaniment of violin, alto flute, or flute, along with the voice and piano.  Alternatively, these pieces work very well as an instrumental arrangement with the voice part played on flute, accompanied by alto flute and piano.  

Score, 6 pages; Violin, Alto Flute, and Flute parts, 2 pages each; Total, 18 pages.

Sonata, Op.166, by Camille Saint-Saëns

Transcribed for Alto Flute (and Piano) by C.A.Vater and J.W.Pratt

Alto Flute Part, PDF $6.99

Sonata, Opus 166 (Oboe Sonata in D major) was composed by Saint-Saëns in 1921, the year of his death, and has since become a standard of the oboe repertoire.  Although written for oboe with accompaniment of piano, the piece is very well suited for alto flute.  Played by either oboe or alto flute, this Sonata provides the soloist with opportunities to demonstrate both technical expertise and expressive performance.  We provide here the alto flute part; the piano part is readily available in the public domain as a free pdf download of the original score for oboe and piano.  Here is a link to one such source: Piano Score

Alto Flute part, 7 pages; Total, 9 pages.

Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, Op.129, by F. Schubert 

Obbligato Transcribed for Alto Flute in G by Peter H. Bloom

Alto Flute Part, PDF $5.99

In the preface to his transcription, Mr. Bloom writes: "In terms of color, nuance, expression, dynamics, and tessitura the obbligato works exquisitely on the alto flute.  Theobald Boehm (1794-1881) designed our first modern alto flute in 1847.  Had Schubert (born in 1797) survived to hear it, I have no doubt that he would have made the alto flute an essential part of his armory of orchestration. .... Der Hirt auf dem Felsen is very effective, also, in a purely instrumental arrangement for flute (taking the vocal line) and alto flute obbligato.  It's an ideal didactical vehicle for coaching the developing flutist in the art of rhetorical performance as well as a splendid concert/recital piece."

The premiere of Schubert's The Shepherd on the Rock, with obbligato transcribed for alto flute, was performed by D'Anna Fortunato (Mezzo-Soprano), Peter H. Bloom (Alto Flute), and Mary Jane Rupert (Piano) during a concert at the Gibson Theatre in Elmira, NY, on November 3, 2009, as part of the Elmira College Encore Series.

"Flutist Peter Bloom has done an invaluable service to Schubert and to concert singers by providing this charming arrangement, for alto flute, of the original clarinet obbligato to Der Hirt auf dem Felsen.  I've performed it in this version on several occasions and find that the flute timbre is alluring.  It's so easy to blend with and respond to the alto flute!  I believe that, had it been possible, the composer, himself, would have truly enjoyed this arrangement at a Schubertiade performance of his own."  —D'Anna Fortunato

We provide our alto flute transcription of the obbligato part, originally for clarinet.  The voice and piano parts are readily available as a free pdf download of the score, from sources such as imslp.org/.

Alto Flute part, 4 pages of music; Total, 8 pages.

Sonatas, Op.137, by F. Schubert

Transcribed for Alto Flute and Piano by C. A. Vater & J. W. Pratt

Franz Schubert (1797-1828) wrote his three violin sonatas Opus 137 when he was barely 19.  They were published posthumously as 'Sonatinas', perhaps for marketing reasons, but they are full-scale sonatas in traditional classical style and format, the first having three movements and the others four.  These plus the violin sonata in A of the next year constitute fully half of Schubert's known works for piano and solo instrument.

Schubert's Op.137 sonatas are truly delightful, and we have adapted the violin parts for alto flute.  Where appropriate, changes have been introduced to better accommodate the range, sonority, and general characteristics of the alto flute.  Such modifications include occasional octave adjustments, dynamic changes, and suitable flute-friendly alternatives to the violin's doublestops.  We provide our transcribed alto flute parts; the piano scores are readily available in the public domain as free pdf downloads from imslp.org/.

No.1, Sonata in D major: Alto Flute part, 6 pages; Total, 8 pages. PDF $5.99
Preview 

Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, Op.129, by F. Schubert 

Voice Part Transcribed for Alto Flute in G by Carol A. Vater

Alto Flute Part, PDF $5.99

NSM published Peter H. Bloom's alto flute transcription of the clarinet obbligato from Schubert's Shepherd on the Rock in 2012. Please find information about that publication in our article for that edition. Later we realized that the voice part, which I (cav) have performed on flute in a flute/clarinet/piano group, would work much better when played on alto flute. So we created a transcription of the vocal part for alto flute. This alto flute transcription is to be played in an entirely instrumental version of Der Hirt auf dem Felsen for alto flute, clarinet (or alto flute), and piano, which as noted by Mr. Bloom, is "an ideal didactical vehicle for coaching the developing flutist in the art of rhetorical performance as well as a splendid concert/recital piece." Our alto flute transcription of the voice part is a simple transposition requiring no octave changes; the part falls naturally and beautifully within the alto flute range. The clarinet part and piano score are freely available at IMSLP.org.

Alto Flute part (in lieu of voice), 5 pages of music; Total, 10 pages.