FINALIST in the NFA Newly Published Music Competition!
LYRICAL FLUTE LEGENDS
Lyrical Flute Legends is an exciting collection of 20 works for flute and piano, featuring exclusively commissioned works by contemporary composers and inspiring new arrangements of 19th and 20th century compositions. Listen to the legends, discover beautiful scenes and enjoy lively dances through the alluring lyricism of this music.
These works by living composers and new arrangements are suitable for intermediate level players. The flute part includes biographies of all composers and notes/ performance suggestions for each work.
All pieces in Lyrical Flute Legends have free flute & piano recordings to listen to, as well as free piano backing tracks on YouTube to play along with.
Composers: Johannes Brahms, Antonin Dvorak, Hans Engelmann, Sally Greenaway, Greg Harradine, Jolin Jiang, Scott Joplin, Elena Kats-Chernin, Toivo Kuula, Rachel Laurin, Edward MacDowell, Felix Mendelssohn, Merryl Neille, Heather Percy, Gary Schocker.
Specifications:
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Contents: 20 pieces
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Standard: Intermediate level
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Key signatures: up to three sharps and four flats
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Time signatures: 4/4, 3/4, 2/4, ₵, 6/8 (including mixed metre)
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Pitch range: D below staff to G four leger lines above staff
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Size: Flute part 44pp (includes composer biographies and performance notes); Piano score 68pp
REVIEW in MUSIC TEACHER MAGAZINE, December 2021.
“Lyrical Flute Legends has the support of the great and the good in the fluting world … [and is] excellent value for money.”
“Elena Kats-Chernin’s ‘Crispin’ series is particularly delightful. The three works explore aspects of a cat’s character – curiosity, dreaming and mischief-making – through beautifully written idiomatic melodies (the first miniature provided an enjoyable earworm that lasted for days).”
“Greg Harradine’s ‘Waltz for Lyra’ also stands out … the ethereal dance is irresistibly catchy.”
“Given the variety of music available in this publication, the book should last players several years.”
“All the pieces have been recorded – both in their entirety and as piano backing tracks – and are freely available via YouTube. Flautist Jessica Lee and pianist Brieley Cutting’s performances are both excellent and will inspire …”
Review by Claire Jackson
REVIEW by CARLA REES in PAN (Journal of British Flute Society) Nov. 2022
"As the title suggests, the pieces all celebrate the lyrical qualities of the flute, encouraging learning players to develop a strong, singing tone and providing opportunities for legato playing. There are also some rhythmical challenges, such as syncopations and ties, and a vast variety of articulation details including staccatos and accents. The pieces span a range of around two octaves and use key signatures of up to three sharps and flats. As such this is ideal learning material for students of around Grade 3 to 4 standard.
I particularly enjoyed the three pieces by Elena Kats-Chemin, which explore three contrasting characters inspired by a cat. Sally Greenaway's Milonga 'Danza del Anhelo' provides an opportunity to explore irregular beat patterns within the context of an Argentinian Dance, and Greg Harradine's two compositions have well-shaped melodic lines which are fun to play. It's great to see a good gender balance between the composers, and there are some real gems in this volume, which younger players are likely to enjoy."
JUST FLUTES - STAFF PICK by CHRIS HANKIN 2022.
"This is an interesting book which will introduce intermediate players to a wide variety of musical styles. Arrangements of classic tunes and new pieces by contemporary composers is a very appealing mix and the progressive nature of the book ensures that it will have a long life.
Highlights are the three Crispin pieces by Elena Kats-Chernin that are full of character and sure to please younger players, a sparkling version of Engelmann's Halloween Dance, Danza del Anhelo by Sally Greenway which is full of yearning, and the unmistakeable sound of Gary Schocker in Fable. The whole book is good though and something just that little bit different. Lovely!"
REVIEW by ROBIN HORNE in the Flute List, April 2022.
"I want to share with you about a couple of new publications for flute that I’ve bought and fallen in love with.
One is a collection of 20 pieces for flute and piano (Lyrical Flute Legends), the other is a collection of 30 pieces for flute alone (Inspiring Flute Solos).
What is so tremendous is that the majority of the pieces in each collection are totally new! The editor, Karen North, has commissioned dozens of accomplished composers from around the world to compose pieces for these collections.
I got actual goose bumps playing through some of the pieces, they are so beautiful! Playing through the flute and piano collection reminded me of the Carol Wincenc Valentines collection. The pieces are of many diverse styles and are rich in complexity, color, and musicality.
Although both these books are designed for the an intermediate level flute player, don’t let that fool you. These don’t sound like “student pieces.” I wouldn’t hesitate to put many of these in a performance of my own, and I plan to introduce them to my adult students as well the kids."
ABOUT THE COMMISSIONED COMPOSERS
CONCERT PREMIERE VIDEO