Category: Composer Profiles
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Five Great Books for Flute Players by Cecilia McDowall
Cecilia McDowall writes really imaginative music. Explore her styles in these wonderful books. Cecilia McDowall: Six Pastiches for Flute and Piano Clever, amusing and with unexpected twists, Six Pastiches is probably the best known of Cecilia’s books. Each movement is a caricatures of itself. Comic Song is in a minor key, the Hornpipe has the […]
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International Women’s Day – Fabulous Works by Female Composers
Women composers are coming to the fore – and about time too! Let’s celebrate with these beauties. Flute Music by Female Composers, edited by Weinzierl and Wachter This is a veritable “who’s who” of women who have and still are writing for the flute. With repertoire ranging from the Baroque music of Anna Amalia of […]
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Composer Profile: Geoff Eales
It is fortunate for us flute players that jazz pianist-composer Geoff Eales and the talented Andy Findon are such good friends. As a direct result of their collaboration for the CD The Dancing Flute, we now have some of the best flute jazz music to play for ourselves. Eales studied composition with Alun Hoddinott and wrote award-winning large-scale orchestral works before he became more interested in jazz. His stellar career since then has enabled him to carve out a niche as an improviser, and it is these two aspects of his style that underpin all his works for the flute.
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Composer Profile: Wil Offermans
Wil Offermans is one of the most interesting composer/performers active in the flute world today. His music uses sounds and textures to explore different worlds and is flexible enough to be played in many different ways. Ethnic influences, particularly from Japan are very evident and his imaginative writing is very appealing for both performer and listener alike.
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Composer Profile: Andy Scott
“Andy Scott is a hugely talented composer using his artistry to communicate fresh ideas through a traditional sound.” – Bramwell Tovey. If you are not familiar with the music of Andy Scott perhaps now is the time to do some exploring! Scott is a sax player but he is of great interest to flute players […]
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Composer Profile: Cecilia McDowall
It is very unlikely that you will not know at least one piece by Cecilia McDowall – even if it is the very popular Comic Song from the ABRSM grade 4 book! She isn’t a flute player, but her father, Harold Clarke, was. He was principal flute at the Royal Opera House, and professor of flute at Trinity College of Music. So it is inevitable that Cecilia would write music for us, and write it well. She is completely woven into the flute fabric in the UK, with works on exam lists and commissions ranging from contemporary solo pieces to music for large flute ensembles.
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Composer Profile: Amanda Jane Fox
I absolutely love the music of Amanda Fox. She is a wonderful combination of classically trained flute player and natural jazz pianist. She has an amazing way of performing her own music, her rhythmic understanding being instinctively different from the ordinary musician. She once described to me an astonishing list of styles that she has drawn from. These included Bach, Rachmaninoff, Elton John, Carol King, Debussy, Chaminade and several jazz musicians – very much a mixed bag. She is also quite a character! She never stops talking, and is infectiously enthusiastic about all she does.