bass flute

Adagio and Fugue from BWV 564, by J. S. Bach

Arranged for Flute Quartet by John W. Pratt

Score and Parts for Flute 1, Flute 2, Alto Flute, and Bass Flute, PDF $21.25

Among J. S. Bach's big organ works, the Toccata, Adagio, and Fugue, BWV 564 is atypical in ways that make it especially adaptable to transcription for winds, as we noted when transcribing it for woodwind quartet. The middle movement Adagio has an elaborate and gorgeous melody which lies comfortably for flute and can benefit greatly from the shaded, nuanced dynamics and articulations that a solo flutist can provide. The four-part Fugue is unusual, too—light and lighthearted, happily adaptable to woodwinds. The Adagio and Fugue are particularly well-suited to a flute quartet and these (but not the Toccata) are included in John Pratt’s arrangement of the piece for two flutes, alto flute and bass flute. Note that the score is presented with the alto flute line in concert pitch and the bass flute line shown in bass clef so as to easily see the range of all the flutes' notes; in the parts, of course, the alto flute is transposed and the bass flute is in treble clef.

Score, 10 pages; Flute 1 part, 4 pages; Flute 2 part, 3 pages; Alto Flute part, 3 pages; Bass Flute part, 2 pages; Total, 30 pages.

Romance, Op. 11 by Antonín Dvořák

Arranged for Solo Flute and Flute Choir by C. A. Vater (originally for solo violin and orchestra)

Score and Parts for Solo Concert Flute, 4 Concert Flutes, 2 Alto Flutes, 2 Bass Flutes, and 1 Contrabass Flute, PDF $21.97

Czech composer Antonín Dvořák based his Romance, Opus 11 on the slow movement of his String Quartet in F minor, composed in 1873, re-working that Andante con moto quasi allegretto to create two versions of the Romance, one for solo violin and orchestra (B.39) and another for solo violin and piano (B.38). The Romance is one of Dvořák’s most magnificent melodic works, teaming with romance, lyricism, and emotional intensity. I created a solo flute version of this piece for my personal use, and I so enjoyed playing it that I shared it with a flutist friend / NSM editorial consultant, who suggested that the Romance might be nicely adaptable for flute choir. I took on that challenge and created this arrangement, scored for flute solo with the accompaniment of four concert flutes, two alto flutes, two bass flutes, and one contrabass flute. A few changes have been incorporated in the solo part, bringing the violin’s lowest notes into concert flute range and providing appropriate alternatives to the occasional double stops. Likewise, the various string and wind parts created by Dvořák for his orchestral arrangement (available on IMSLP.org) have been modified in places to suit members of the flute family. Of course, any work played by a flute choir will sound very different than when played by an orchestra, but in arranging this piece for flute choir, every effort has been made to maintain the spirit, character, balance, and flow of Dvořák’s exquisite Romance.

The parts in our edition have been formatted for convenient page turns when the complete PDF is printed 2-sided in its entirety. If a more compact version of the score is desired, however, please select a “2 pages per sheet” printer option for the score and print the score pages separately from the parts.

Score, 60 pages; Solo Flute part, 4 pages of music; Flutes 1-4 parts, each 3 pages of music; Alto Flute 1 part, 4 pages of music; Alto Flute 2 part, 3 pages of music; Contrabass Flute part, 3 pages of music; Total, 104 pages.

Quartet, Op.1, No.1, by Franz Joseph Haydn

Arranged for Flute Quartet by John W. Pratt (originally for strings)

Score and Parts for Flute 1, Flute 2, Alto Flute, and Bass Flute, PDF $15.99

The earliest quartets of Franz Joseph Haydn are not precursors of the later works wherein he developed the form and style of the classical string quartet, but rather divertimenti written for four friends when he was about 25.  Most of these early works have five movements: fast, minuet/trio, slow, minuet/trio, fast; and their slow movements feature beautiful, elaborate, gently accompanied melodies. 

The divertimento style and instrumental character of these early pieces does not evoke strings specifically or necessarily, and thus arrangement for other instruments is natural and might expand enjoyment of these wonderful first significant Haydn works to other players and audiences.  In John Pratt’s arrangement of Haydn’s Op.1, No.1 (Hob.III:1), most of the range issues for flutes were solved by transposition up a step, a few more by exchanging the two inner voices in places or by octave transpositions.  This lovely, effective arrangement is for a flute quartet consisting of two concert flutes, alto flute, and bass flute; the edition is available exclusively from Noteworthy Sheet Music.  

Score, 19 pages; Parts for Flute 1, Flute 2, Alto Flute and Bass Flute, 5 pages each; Total, 46 pages. 

Adagio from Symphony No.24 by F. J. Haydn

Transcribed for Solo Flute accompanied by Flute Choir, by John W. Pratt (originally for flute and strings)

Score and Parts for Solo Flute, Flutes 1 and 2, Alto Flute, and Bass Flute/Contrabass Flute, PDF $7.99

Haydn wrote his Symphony No.24 in 1764. Its second movement is a beautiful Adagio for flute solo accompanied by strings. The string parts are simple, with no double stops or extreme high notes, so they can be played comfortably by corresponding members of the flute family, except for a few low notes.  This transcription for flute choir is therefore straightforward except that the alto flute sometimes plays violin notes that C-flutes cannot play or can use support playing, and similarly the bass flute plays some viola notes instead of or in addition to the alto flute playing them. Notes taken from the cello in its lowest octave have been raised an octave for bass flute, but there are fewer than one might expect. Perhaps one reason is that Haydn expected a (string) bass to be doubling the cello an octave lower, playing from the same part. If a contrabass flute is available, it can double the bass flute similarly, serving even more to enrich the sound. —adapted from JWP’s preface to the edition

Listen to a computer-generated audio sample. 

Score, 5 pages; Parts for Solo Flute, 2 pages; Flutes 1 and 2, 2 pages; Alto Flute, 1 page; Bass Flute/Contrabass Flute, 1 page; Total 19 pages.

Divertimento No. 1 (Hob. II:21; Op. 2 No. 3) by Franz Joseph Haydn

Arranged for Flute Quartet by John W. Pratt (originally for string quartet plus 2 horns)

Score and Parts for Flute 1, Flute 2, Alto Flute, and Bass Flute, PDF $11.97

excerpted from John W. Pratt’s © preface to the edition:

“Haydn (1732-1809) is credited with developing the classical forms of both the string quartet and the symphony, starting from the loose structures and permissive instrumentation of Baroque instrumental music. … His first string quartets are his Opus 1 Nos. 1-4 and 6, and Opus 2 Nos. 1-6, thus eleven. Opus 1 No. 5 is somewhat later, added to make a set of 6, apparently a perfect number in music publication as well as in mathematics. Opus 2 Nos. 3 and 5 are quartet arrangements of two divertimentos including also two horns and listed in the Hoboken catalogue as II:21 and 22 … The spirit and spiritedness of the two divertimentos suit them to flute quartet, as does the distribution of activity. In addition, a flute quartet combines the unified timbre of a string quartet with the wind sound of the horns, while the early string quartets do not exploit the string sound per se. Transposition up a step puts the cello and viola parts of Hob. II:21 mostly within the bass and alto flute ranges and makes the violin parts if anything more comfortable for C flutes.”

There are 5 movements in total: I-Allegro molto, II-Minuet, III-Adagio, IV-Minuet, and V-Finale Allegro. To get some sense of how the Op. 2 No. 3 quartet works with flutes in lieu of strings, listen to this computer-generated audio clip of the first movement—realizing it will of course sound considerably better played in-person on real instruments.

Score, 11 pages; Flute 1 part, 6 pages; Flute 2 part, 6 pages; Alto Flute part, 5 pages; Bass Flute part, 5 pages; Total, 38 pages.

Divertimento No. 2 (Hob. II:22; Op.2, No.5) by Franz Joseph Haydn

Arranged for Flute Quartet by John W. Pratt (originally for string quartet plus 2 horns)

Score and Parts for Flute 1, Flute 2, Alto Flute, and Bass Flute, PDF $10.97

This is the second of Haydn’s two divertimenti, Hob. II:21 and II:22, that John Pratt has arranged for flute quartet, scored for two C-flutes, alto flute, and bass flute.  Both divertimenti were written originally for string quartet plus two horns, but were later adapted by others as quartet-only versions identified as Opus 2, No.3 and No.5.  Please see the text excerpted from Mr. Pratt’s preface to his arrangement of Haydn’s Divertimento No.1 (Op.2, No.3) for additional information that applies to both these works.  There are 5 movements in Op.2, No.5: I-Presto, II-Minuet, III-Largo, IV-Minuet, and V-Finale Presto.  Listen to this computer-generated audio clip from the second movement Minuet to get a sense of how the quartet sounds with flutes in lieu of strings. 

Score, 10 pages; Flute 1 part, 4 pages; Flute 2 part, 4 pages; Alto Flute part, 4 pages; Bass Flute part, 3 pages; Total, 28 pages.

Symphony 13, by Franz Joseph Haydn

Arranged for Multiple Flutes by John W. Pratt

Score and Parts for Flutes 1-4, Alto Flute, Bass Flute; PDF $23.95

This arrangement of Haydn’s Symphony No.13 is for a flute ensemble of any size including at least one bass, one alto, and two concert flutes.  Third and fourth concert flute parts are also provided, and all parts can be doubled at will.  If a contrabass flute is available, it can double the bass flute, serving to deepen and enrich the sound.  The second movement is a beautiful Adagio cantabile, originally for solo cello accompanied by strings, which transcribes nicely for alto flute accompanied by the rest of the flute family.  The trio of the symphony’s third movement has a delightful solo flute part with only string accompaniment.  A large flute ensemble would be about the size of Haydn’s core orchestra at the time this symphony was composed; in our arrangement, Haydn’s original key has been raised a minor third to better suit the natural range of a flute ensemble.  

Score, 17 pages; separate parts for Flute 1, Flute 2, Flute 3, and Flute 4, 6 pages each; Alto Flute part, 7 pages; Bass Flute part, 6 pages; Total, 68 pages.  

Quintet, K.516 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Arranged for Flute Quintet by John W. Pratt (originally for strings)

Score and Parts for Flute 1, Flute 2, Alto Flute 1, Alto Flute 2, and Bass Flute, PDF $23.50

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) wrote six quintets for 2 violins, 2 violas, and cello.  Two of these, K.515 in C major and K.516 in G minor, are generally regarded as high points in Mozart’s, and indeed all, chamber music.   Adaptation of K.516 to flute quintet is apropos, as its textural possibilities apply also to a flute quintet, and its musical and emotional content are well worth viewing through the prism of five flutes.  In John Pratt’s arrangement, the work has been transposed up a step to better adapt to a flute ensemble.  Our edition includes a score as well as parts for two concert flutes, two alto flutes, and bass flute.

Score, 30 pages; Flute 1, 14 pages; Flute 2, 13 pages; Alto Flute 1, 14 pages; Alto Flute 2, 13 pages; and Bass Flute, 11 pages of music; Total, 106 pages. 

Play of Light, by Richard Nelson 

Contemporary Composition for Flute (doubling piccolo & bass flute) and Harp

Score and Flute Part, PDF $15.25

Play of Light, for flute and harp, was written for the duo "2" (Peter H. Bloom and Mary Jane Rupert).  The piece is built around spaciousness, transparency, multi-hued shadings and playful chases.  The incorporation of bass flute and piccolo further enhances the inherently rich color possibilities of the flute/harp combination—the three flute instruments in succession form a sort of "super-flute" in the work's final section.  

Drawing on his jazz and improvisation background, composer Richard Nelson in this composition leads the players into a substantial section that they complete through improvisation.  While they follow signposts on intensity, energy and pitch content that he provides, this practice nonetheless creates an element of intrigue and unpredictability that the composer values highly.  It also assures that each performance of the piece will have a strongly individual profile. 

The Duo "2" artists have released a studio recording of Play of Light, available free of charge; please click the link to listen to the audio file on the composer's SoundCloud site.

Peter H. Bloom gave a lecture on “Effective Writing for Flutes and the Contemporary Flutist” at the 2018 Snow Pond Composers Workshop.  In his presentation, Mr. Bloom discussed various topics using four contemporary works published by Noteworthy Sheet Music, including Play of Light, as examples.  We later published a free text version of this excellent presentation on our website, in the Reviews and Articles section, including some of the audio clips and supplemental written materials that Mr. Bloom used as demonstrations.

Score, 23 pages; Flute part, 9 pages; Total, 36 pages.

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We also offer a print version of Play of Light by Richard Nelson, for those who prefer to purchase the work as a professionally-printed hard copy. Due to prohibitively high international shipping rates, we ship print editions only to addresses in the USA. The cost of the hard copy edition of Play of Light is $25.93, plus a $5.95 shipping and handling fee. Please use the Contact Us form to let us know which print publication(s) you would like to purchase, along with your email contact information and USPS mailing address. We will then send you a PayPal invoice for the sale and, once we receive notice from PayPal that you have paid for the item(s), we will ship your music to the address provided for delivery in 7-10 business days.

Auf dem Strom, Op.119, by Franz Schubert

Obbligato transcribed for Bass Flute by C. A. Vater

Piano Score and Parts for Voice and Bass Flute, PDF $9.50

The great Austrian composer Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828) was a master at creating extremely beautiful, melodic, emotional lieder.  His song Auf dem Strom (On the River) provided a musical setting for the text of the eponymous poem written by the German poet and music critic Ludwig Rellstab.  The lyrics tell the story of a sad parting, of the yearning and loneliness that sets in as the narrator bids farewell to a loved one on shore, while his river journey carries him away towards the sea.  The premier performance of Auf dem Strom took place in Schubert's 1828 public concert, during which the obbligato part was played by Josef Lewy on horn, the instrument for which the obbligato was written and which undoubtedly can provide an appropriately mournful, sentimental character to the piece.  However, an alternate obbligato version for cello was also published.  Now, with all respect, and at the suggestion of our flutist colleague Peter H. Bloom, we offer a bass flute version of the obbligato.  Most of the transposed horn part falls nicely within the sweet range of the bass flute, and very few adaptations were required.  Though clearly having different sonic qualities than a horn, the bass flute lends a forlorn, haunting, earthy tone that can well do justice to this Schubert song.  After giving the bass flute obbligato a try, Mr. Bloom commented: "Fabulous! // The tone-color of the bass flute for this number is gorgeous."

Piano score, 19 pages; Bass Flute part, 4 pages; Total, 32 pages.