Baroque Studies for Modern Flute

Pan - Journal of the British Flute Society

This review first appeared in Pan, the journal of the British Flute Society and is reproduced with permission. Join the BFS: membership starts from £25 a year.

This is an excellent book to guide Boehm flute players on how to approach baroque repertoire in a stylistically appropriate way.  Drawing on transverso techniques and historically informed performance practices, the book is clearly laid out and easy to follow.  Each chapter focuses on one of the main areas of style - including tone, metre and articulation, and there are three chapters dedicated to different types of ornamentation and one on how to apply this to repertoire confidently.  Walker highlights the differences in approach between the baroque and modern flutes, especially regarding subtlety and variety in tone and articulation, and provides ample examples for practice.  Extracts from the repertoire are included for further study, and the book is music, rather than text, heavy, allowing the player some space for intellectual and analytical enquiry.  Many of the examples are supported by quotes from historical treatises, bringing together some of the important elements of baroque style into one place.  A repertoire and reading list is provided for those who wish to go further.  This book is an excellent starting point for anyone curious in getting the best out of baroque repertoire, and may well open the doors to a more detailed exploration.  Highly recommended.

Carla Rees

From the Publisher

Do you need to add ornaments to a baroque piece, or wonder how to get a Menuet to dance off the page? Following the enormous success of Elizabeth Walker's first award winning book Baroque Flute Studies, help is at hand in the form of Baroque Studies for Modern Flute.

This new book explores the key techniques used in baroque performance and interpretation, and demystifies the many symbols and unwritten practices of baroque music for the modern flute player. Exercises on tone, style and articulation, and full explanations of ornaments are coupled with carefully chosen examples from the repertoire, including solos, duets, trios and orchestral excerpts.

Elizabeth is well known both as a Baroque flute specialist, and also for her interpretations of the baroque repertoire on modern flute; this unique perspective guarantees a book that is not only informative, but one that will also enhance the enjoyment of playing baroque music for every flute player.

Author's Notes

Baroque music is exquisite and expressive and a vital component of the modern flute repertoire. However, a basic understanding of the essential qualities of the baroque flute and the style of the period will enhance the experience of performing this music. My book is designed to highlight some of the baroque flute techniques that are both possible and helpful on a modern flute. I have written exercises to clarify these techniques (coupled with exercises and instructions by baroque composers and flautists), to explain some of the shorthand and unwritten practices of the time.

Winner, Best Flute Method, National Flute Association (USA) Newly Published Music Competition 2017

Contents

1. Tone
2. Metre
3. Articulation
4. Renaissance Ornamentation
5. French Ornamentation
6. Italian Ornamentation
7. Adding Ornaments with Confidence
8. Suggested Reading and Repertoire List

Item Details

Instrumentation

• Part 1: Flute