flute

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

Arranged for Flute and Piano by John W. Pratt

Flute Part and Piano Score, PDF $6.00

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) wrote his Symphony No. 24 in 1764. The second movement is a beautiful Adagio for solo flute accompanied by strings, with a place for a cadenza.  We offer here a piano transcription of the string accompaniment, with appropriate adaptations in sonority, and the flute part with a written cadenza based closely on Haydn's material and style.  Players will find the resulting one-movement flute sonata both affecting and highly rewarding. 

Flute part, 2 pages; Flute & Piano score, 4 pages; Total, 10 pages. 

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We also offer a professionally-printed hard copy edition of the Haydn Adagio for $13.49 plus a $5.95 shipping and handling fee. Due to prohibitively high international shipping rates, we ship print editions only to addresses in the USA. Please use the Contact Us form to let us know which hard copy 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.

Adagio from Quartet in F Major, Op.20, No.5, by F. J. Haydn

Arranged for Flute and Piano by John W. Pratt

Flute Part and Piano Score, PDF $10.00

The third movement of Haydn's string quartet Opus 20, No. 5 is an Adagio with a simple melody that is treated to delightful filigreed elaboration and obbligato decoration by the violin.  Although more complex quartet movements are typically unsuited to transcription, in this beautiful Adagio the soloistic nature of the violin part and the simplicity of the lower string parts lend themselves very well to an arrangement for flute and piano, as in the fine transcription we offer here.  

Flute part, 3 pages of music; Piano score, 7 pages of music; Total, 14 pages.

Early Sonatas, by Franz Joseph Haydn

Arranged as Woodwind Duets by John W. Pratt (originally for keyboard)

Even the earliest of Franz Joseph Haydn’s keyboard sonatas have great rhythmic variety and vitality, and are delightful when played with verve. They are mostly in two voices, and even where not, their early classical harmonies are easily conveyed by two instruments. They incorporate few pianistic effects and lie comfortably within range for flute or oboe and bassoon or clarinet, and thus make natural woodwind duets of lively, interesting music. All these editions include a score and parts.  Those wishing to consult the keyboard editions of the Haydn sonatas, from which Mr. Pratt created his arrangements, can find them at imslp.org.  (Adapted from J. W. Pratt’s preface to the edition.)

Cover image “Decorations of the Sala Terrena, Eszterházy Palace in Fertőd, Hungary“ by Monyesz, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

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This edition includes seven of Haydn's early keyboard sonatas arranged as duets for flute and bassoon. John Pratt's creation of these duets was inspired by a desire to offer two of his music colleagues some new music to enjoy, as they had exhausted their available flute and bassoon duo repertoire. These duets work nicely for winds and are fun to play.  For a sense of how they sound when played by flute and bassoon, click below to listen to a computer-generated audio excerpt: the first 45” of the recording come from the Andante of Sonata 5 (Hob. XVI:11), followed by 25” of the Sonata 6 (Hob. XVI:10) Presto.  Alternatively, the flute part can be played on oboe, making these sonata arrangements nicely amenable to oboe and bassoon duos as well.

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►Early Haydn Sonatas arranged by John W. Pratt as Duets for Flute and B

Fantasia in C major, by F. J. Haydn

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

Flute Part, Alto Flute Part, and Score ― PDF $12.99

Fantasia in C major (Op.58; Hob. XVII:4) was written by Haydn in 1789 for the pianoforte.  Based on a folk song about a farmer's wife chasing her cat, one can easily imagine in the music kittenish scampering, stealthy approaches, unexpected pounces, and mad chases with abrupt changes of direction.  The style and playfulness of the piece are beautifully suited to the agility and sparkle of flutes.  The transcription is able to capture the feel Haydn intended, with new coloring, while at the same time affording flutists the joy of experiencing the work first-hand.  (adapted from JWP's foreword to the edition)

Please click the Preview button to see p1-2 of the mini-Score (in concert pitch).  After opening the file, adjust the orientation using "View - Rotate View - Clockwise" in your pdf reader program.

Flute part, 6 pages; Alto Flute part, 7 pages; Mini-score, 6 pages; Total, 22 pages. 

Fantasia in C major, by F. J. Haydn

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

Flute Part, A Clarinet Part, and Mini-Score ― PDF $12.99

Fantasia in C major (Op.58; Hob. XVII:4) was written by Haydn in 1789 for the pianoforte.  Based on a folk song about a farmer's wife chasing her cat, one can easily imagine in the music kittenish scampering, stealthy approaches, unexpected pounces, and mad chases with abrupt changes of direction.   The style and playfulness of the piece lend themselves well to flute and clarinet.  The transcription is able to capture the feel Haydn intended, with new coloring, while at the same time affording flutists and clarinetists the joy of experiencing the work first-hand. (adapted from JWP's foreword to the edition)

Flute part, 6 pages; Clarinet in A part, 6 pages; Mini-score in concert pitch, 6 pages; Total, 24 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. 

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.