flute

Trio, Hob. XV:18, by Franz Joseph Haydn

transposed to B-flat major and arranged for Woodwind Quartet by John W. Pratt

Score and Parts for Flute, Oboe, B-flat Clarinet, and Bassoon; PDF $20.97

As noted in the arranger’s forward to the edition, the later piano trios of Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) are superb music, but because they were written for excellent pianists and weak string players, they are dominated by the piano part. This imbalance among the parts actually makes the trios highly amenable to and effective in arrangement for woodwind quartet. Written after Haydn’s first visit to London, the Piano Trio in A major, Hob. XV:18, was first published in 1794. The first of its three movements, a flowing Allegro moderato, is unified by ingenious use of the three-note motif opening its cantabile main theme. The lovely middle Andante, in ABA form and 6/8 meter, features some luxurious ornamentation and proceeds attacca to the spirited and humorous Allegro finale. The resources of a woodwind quartet are well suited to the musical ideas of this trio, and the arrangement adapts Haydn’s piano, violin, and cello lines wonderfully to the range and sonority of the instruments used: flute, oboe, B-flat clarinet, and bassoon. This adaptation is facilitated by transposition from Haydn’s original key of A major to B-flat major. We provide parts plus a score in concert pitch.

Click to listen to computer-generated audio samples from the score; audio clips from movements I (m44.4 - m64.3), II (m0 - m4.5 & m49.6 - m54.5), and III (m36.2.2 - m48) are separated by brief pauses.

Score in concert pitch, 21 pages; Flute part, 8 pages; Oboe part, 6 pages; B♭-Clarinet part, 5 pages; Bassoon part, 5 pages; Total, 52 pages.

Trio, Hob. XV:25 ‘Gypsy’, by Franz Joseph Haydn

arranged for Woodwind Quartet by John W. Pratt

Score and Parts for Flute, Oboe, B♭-Clarinet, and Bassoon; plus, an alternative A-Clarinet part; PDF $16.97

Short summary adapted by NSM from John W. Pratt’s foreword to the edition: The trios Hob. XV: 24-26 were, in Robbins Landon’s account (Haydn, Indiana, 1976), probably the last works Haydn delivered to his publishers before he left England in 1795.  They were written for strong amateur pianists and weak string players, and although the string parts are essential for their effects on sonority, they are not terribly interesting. Such a scenario lends itself beautifully to arrangement of these piano trios for wind quartet.

Haydn labeled the finale of Hob. XV: 25 "in the Gypsies' style", and the trio became an enormous favorite. In the key of G, it opens with a particularly lovely slow movement having alternating minor and major variations.  The third variation is in the relative minor (e), anticipating the key, E major, of the even slower, but subtle and melodically rich, second movement. This retardation heightens the effect of the famous finale.

We have provided alternative parts for clarinet in B-flat and in clarinet in A.  Some players may wish to use the A-clarinet only in the second movement, for the sake of the friendlier key signature and perhaps also for sound, depending on the instrument.

Click to listen to computer-generated audio samples from the score; audio clips from movements I (m42-48, m72-78), II (m57-63), and III (168-190) are separated by brief pauses. 

Score in concert pitch, 17 pages; Flute part, 6 pages; Oboe part, 4 pages; B♭-Clarinet part, 6 pages; Bassoon part, 4 pages; alternative part for A-Clarinet, 6 pages; Total, 56 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.  

Trois Grands Duos Brillants et Mélodiques pour Deux Flûtes Concertantes, by Jules Herman

New Editions by Noteworthy Sheet Music, with a Foreword by P. H. Bloom

Duo 1: Flute 1 Part, Flute 2 Part, and Mini-Score ― PDF $17.98

Duo 2: Flute 1 Part, Flute 2 Part, and Mini-Score ― PDF $21.75

Duo 3: Flute 1 Part, Flute 2 Part, and Mini-Score ― PDF $17.98

Jules Herman's Grands Duos Concertantes (Opus 86) are works of ingenuity, charm, brilliance, grace, and humor.  Long overlooked, they are extraordinarily fine examples of concert-worthy duets of the late 19th century.  Originally published by Choudens in Paris about 1885, the Grand Duos were dedicated to composer François-Auguste Gevaert (1828–1908), then director of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.  Flutists will find these works challenging and rewarding, teachers of advancing students will be amazed by their utility, and audiences will be enchanted.  (excerpted from PHB's © foreword)

Note that these duets make for excellent sight-reading training ... the music is interesting and demanding, and the parts are nicely balanced.  All three duets have three movements each.  Duo 1: Allegro moderato; Adagio sostenuto; and Rondo allegro.  Duo 2: Moderato; Scherzando; and Polonaise.  Duo 3: Allegretto vivace con brio; Air Varié, Andante; and Boléro, Moderato.

Trip to Nahant, by James Hewitt

Arranged as a Duet for Flute and Clarinet by John W. Pratt

Flute Part, Bb Clarinet Part, alternate A Clarinet Part, and Score ― PDF $5.99

James Hewitt (1770-1827) moved from London to New York in 1792 and was active in both New York and Boston as a composer, arranger, music publisher, performer, teacher, and orchestra conductor.  In Hewitt's time, Nahant was an island connected to the mainland by a sandbar submerged at high tide, now a causeway.  It was a popular, cool place for day trips from Boston and later became a fashionable summer resort.

Hewitt's Trip to Nahant, a favorite Rondo (1811) was written for keyboard, and is typical of American music of the period.  It is charming, light in texture and subject, and well suited to arrangement for flute and clarinet. (adapted from JWP's foreword to the edition) We provide parts for Flute and Clarinet in Bb, along with an alternative part for Clarinet in A and a Score in concert pitch.  

Flute part, 2 pages; Bb Clarinet part, 2 pages; alternate A Clarinet part, 2 pages; Score, 4 pages; Total, 16 pages. 

Sonata in D minor, Op.50, Duo 3, by Franz Anton Hoffmeister

Duet transcribed for Flute and Bb Clarinet

Score and Parts, PDF $11.25

Noteworthy Sheet Music published an edition of the Sonata in D minor, Duo 3 from Hoffmeister's Trois Duos pour Deux Flûtes, Op.50, after being contacted by flutist Richard A. Evans. Years ago, Mr. Evans had located several editions of 18th and 19th century flute duets, long since out of print, at the Library of Congress. Finding them quite enjoyable to play, and believing them undeserving of their current obscurity, he and his music colleague Bronnie Stroud took the initiative of re-typesetting and editing the pieces using a modern music notation software program. Aware of the paucity of repertoire available for flute and clarinet duo, and realizing these pieces would work nicely for that instrument pair as well, he also transcribed the second flute parts for Bb clarinet. We at NSM agreed that these works should be made more readily available to present-day musicians and audiences, and we published them after making only minor stylistic and formatting revisions to Mr. Evans' scores and parts; the articulation and dynamic markings are those suggested by Mr. Evans.

Score, 15 pages; Flute part, 8 pages; Bb Clarinet part 8 pages; Total, 34 pages.

Sonata in D minor, Op.50, Duo 3, by Franz Anton Hoffmeister

Duet for Two Flutes

Score and Parts, PDF $11.25

Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754-1812) was a German music publisher and prolific composer. He studied law in Vienna, but after becoming captivated by the music scene in that city he devoted the rest of his life to music. His compositional output includes numerous symphonies and overtures, operas, string quartets, pieces for piano, and a great many compositions for flute, including concertos and chamber works. Noteworthy Sheet Music's edition of the Sonata in D minor, Duo 3 from Hoffmeister's Trois Duos pour Deux Flûtes, Op.50 was edited and notated by Richard A. Evans and Bronnie Stroud. Years ago, Mr. Evans located several original editions of 18th and 19th century flute duets, long since out of print, at the Library of Congress. He found them quite enjoyable to play, and undeserving of their current obscurity. NSM agreed and is offering updated editions of these flute-flute duets, as well as editions transcribed for flute and clarinet (browse under under Wind Ensembles or Clarinet).

Click the mp3 icon to listen to a short audio sample of the Hoffmeister Sonata in D minor first movement, performed and recorded by Demi Stevens, a former student of Richard Evans, playing both parts of the duet.
"This is a fabulous duet and has been incredibly fun to practice. Thank you for making it available!"
"Cheers to my mentor's awesome arrangement. I hope you enjoy! With love and admiration, ~Demi"

Score, 15 pages; Flute-1 part, 8 pages; Flute-2 part, 8 pages; Total, 34 pages.