Five scenes for flute (piccolo) and guitar: Soliloquy, Serenade, Swallowtail, Rainbow, Midnight

Spell by Stephen Chatman; Trois pices pour 4 fltes en Ut by Eugne Bozza; Trois
impressions pour flte et piano: Passacaglia, Ragtime, Frequenze by Franco Dominutti;
Quodlibets II, for Flute Solo by Donald Martino; Music for Solo Flute by Richard Wilson;
Improvisation pour flte seule by Denis Joly
Review by: Gretel Shanley
Notes, Second Series, Vol. 38, No. 3 (Mar., 1982), pp. 693-694
Published by: Music Library Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/939590 .
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 Music Reviews
guitar, violin, viola, and cello. In a fore-
word note, the composer states that the
motets may be performed as an entity or
separately, or interspersed with other works,
presumably of the same genre. It is to the
composer's credit that he has chosen com-
plementary instrumental groupings that
will best magnify these simple and alto-
gether charming works of the Renaissance.
For the most part, these are straightfor-
ward transcriptions of the motets. Some,
however, particularly the second and fourth,
have extended atonal interjections and
overlays. The first motet, "Si Quis Diligit
Me," is presented with no adulterations. In
the second, "All Sons of Adam," the music
gradually begins to sound out of whack,
with bent notes from the alto flute and dis-
sonant leaps from the clarinet. Tonality, or
rather, modality, gently eases into the realm
of pointillistic expressionism. The question
that must be asked here is why. No doubt
it has become fashionable, almost de riguer,
in recent years for some composers to com-
mingle in their works diatonicism with the
freely chromatic (or serial). The composers
who have succeded at this (Berio, Roch-
berg, Druckman, Crumb, Wernick, to name
but a few), have had an expressive and an
aesthetic design, one that would undoubt-
edly elucidate the disparities and similari-
ties of the divergent material. In this case,
the endeavour seems merely gratuitous,
and finally, embarassingly chic. Such
trendiness is rampant these days, however,
and Maxwell Davies, a gifted composer, is
well equipped to manipulate the pitches in
a masterly way, so that all works smoothly.
But what's the point?
"Our Father Whiche in Heaven Art" and
"Psalm 124" comprise the third and fourth
motets respectively. The former is partic-
ularly attractive with its dissonant flute and
violin obbligatos weaving eerie counter-
points to the florid clarinet. The use of
percussion here is very effective (one as-
sumes that the marimba is to be played
tremolo with its many long notes, but there
is no indication that this is so). The last
motet relies heavily on extended registra-
tion and an exciting flute obbligato to give
the music its profile. After an atonal and
beautifully composed "Link" from the gui-
tar, "O God abufe," after John Fethy, is
introduced. This is followed by a second
guitar "Link," which leads to a reprise of
the second motet, "All Sons of Adam."
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693
The work comes to a close with the flute,
doubled by glockenspiel, in an upward
melodic spiral over a C major pedal in the
bass clarinet and guitar. The guitar "Links"
are particularly attractive, as is the flute
obbliagto, which complements, in its bi-
zarre way, the stratospheric violin melody.
In somes ways, this motet is the most en-
gaging, with its simple counterpoint and
lovely timbres.
The score, engraved with meticulous
concern by its publisher, is precise and
clear. The composer points out that the
second percussion part is easy to play and
may be performed by a keyboard player.
The duration of the work is ten minutes.
ANDREWFRANK
Universityof California, Davis
Stephen Chatman. Five scenes for flute
(piccolo) and guitar: Soliloquy, Sere-
nade, Swallowtail, Rainbow, Midnight
Spell. New York: Marks (Belwin), 1980.
[Performance score, 14 p., $6.50]
Eugene Bozza. Trois pieces pour 4
flutes en Ut. Paris: Leduc (Presser),
1979. [Score, 11 p., $7.50; parts,
$10.00]
Franco Dominutti. Trois impressions
pour flite et piano: Passacaglia, Rag-
time, Frequenze. Paris: Leduc (Presser),
1979. [Score, 13 p., and part, $8.25]
Donald Martino. Quodlibets II, for
flute solo. Newton, Mass.: Dantalian,
1981. [8 p., $4.00]
Richard Wilson. Music for solo flute,
revised edition. New York; Boosey,
1977. [11 p., $4.00]
Denis Joly. Improvisation pour flfite
seule. Paris: Leduc (Presser), 1979. [3
p., $2.75]
A very welcome addition to flute-guitar
repertoire has been written by Stephen
Chatman, a productive, well-recognized
composer (currently chairman of the com-
position division of the University of Brit-
ish Columbia at Vancouver). His Five Scenes
offer a successful and rewarding first ex-
cursion into modern playing techniques on
the flute, the piccolo, and the guitar for
694 MLA Notes, March 1982

advanced and moderately accomplished plorations in a bilingual dictionary for any-

musicians willing to make the investment one who does not speak Italian. Despite
in time. The score is gratifyingly arranged the intricacies, the prevailing mood for all
for performers, with adequately sized print, three movements is gloomy, perhaps in ac-
planned page turns, and a clear glossary. cordance with the title of the second move-
The piece includes interesting interaction ment, Canto Sentimentale "In Eius Me-
between the instruments plus a variety of moriam" (unexplained). This extensive work
tone colors and moods, and will contribute does not employ very many of the most
much needed contrast on flute and guitar recent instrumental techniques, but will re-
programs. quire diligent performers and dedicated
Bozza's Trois Pieces for four flutes are audiences none-the-less. (The score and
short and melodious, requiring only mod- key to performance are adequately printed.)
erate finger dexterity in contrast to many Requested and recorded by Harvey Soll-
of his other works. The quartet, however, berger, Music for Solo Flute by Richard Wil-
gives many opportunities for developing son, professor of music at Vassar College,
other essential fine skills and nuances, such is a well-organized, substantial work of
as intonation, cohesive ensemble style, and three movements (ten minutes) and var-
dynamic contrasts. The printing is excel- ious moods. Some passages are quite fast,
lent and the parts are ranked in difficulty, but the work is generally accessible to the
but the third and fourth parts do have a moderately advanced flute player, and uti-
low C#-B#-C# transition which is ex- lizes conventional techniques.
tremely awkward unless one has a left- Although relatively easy to perform, Joly's
hand low B lever (most Americans don't). short Improvisation provides enjoyable in-
Three aspects of the present-day world terpretative possibilities in a familiar French
of musical sounds are dealt with humor- traditional vein.
ously and briefly by Dominutti in his Three GRETELSHANLEY
Impressionsfor flute and piano (Passacaglia, California State University,
Ragtime, Frequenze). Of moderate diffi- Northridge
culty throughout, the second movement
contains a few complex meters (ex. 3+4+)
and the slow third movement succeeds in
achieving some beautiful moments using Francis Thorne. Duo Sonatina for
flute tone coloring with pitch changes and two bassoons, 1979. Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.:
plucked tones on the piano, at the same Joshua (General), 1981. [Set of 2 per-
time offering an enjoyable pun to those formance scores, $6.00]
who know an unaccompanied work by Be-
rio. Bartolozzi's techniques and notation Francis Thorne's Duo Sonatine is a far cry
are used; his standard work, New Soundsfor from the usual sort of thing that is ex-
Woodwind (London, New York, 1967), pected from duets for two like instruments
should be referred to in case of without accompaniment. Take away the
doubt-there are occasional misprints in didactic duet from the repertoire for two
the fingering charts for the flute. anythings, particularly that for two bas-
Quodlibets II, by Pulitzer Prize winner soons, and there won't be much left to per-
Donald Martino, was selected by the Na- form. About the only work ever heard and
tional Flute Association as an outstanding only on recitals where one must get rid of
new publication of the year and presented two players at once is a Couperin affair
in concert at their 1981 convention. It was whose ancestry, to say the least, is debata-
commissioned by the American flutist, Besse ble. Thorne's piece is the first I have seen
Welsh and made possible by a grant from in a long time that isn't educational master-
the American Music Center. Persons al- pupil and that contains challenges for both
ready familiar with his earlier Quodlibet players. This alone would make it worth
(also for unaccompanied flute) will not be looking into by bassoonists of some ability.
surprised by the wide leaps, frequent dy- Written in 1979, the Duo Sonatine takes
namic contrasts, intricate rhythmic subdi- about nine minutes and is in three move-
visions, tempo changes, and expression ments, an Introduction and Allegro, an
marks, a number of which necessitate ex- Adagio and a closing Finaletto. In style, it

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