Music of Spain& South America for Flute
Music of SpainOnce you listen to "Si Tuvieramos Aceite" you will know that you made the right decision in buying this book. These are some of the sounds you have always wanted to play but did not have the music for. They are Spanish and South American melodies which are unforgettable. I'm betting that when you listen to this CD, you will grab the book and look for one of the tunes you are listening to thinking "I just have to play that." Perhaps the piece that first captures you is the Flamenco dance "Sevillanas" or one of my favorites "A la mar fui por naranxes." Whichever one snares you first, there will be plenty more which will have you coming back again and again to play them. This is great music.
The accompanying CD is a recording of all of the tunes in the same order in which they appear in the book. Wendy Norman is playing the flute and Allan Alexander is playing the guitar providing a harmonic tapestry over which the melodies float. Every piece in the book is suitable to be played by flute alone; I chose to record the pieces with guitar in order to present the music with a chordal background and to create an enjoyable CD.
42 Great Pieces With CD of all the pieces
performed by Wendy Norman accompanied by Allan Alexander on Guitar
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I am always looking for music that I can't stop playing. At first I thought it was music from a particular period or country that I liked, but with time I have realized that great pieces like these exist all over the world and people have been writing and collecting them for hundreds of years. I have been attracted to Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music, music of Ireland and Scotland and Balkan music. All of these have their own character, but there are a special number of pieces that are just so perfect that we are continually fascinated by them. That is what I believe you will find in every one of our collections. These pieces from Spain and South America are no exception. In these editions I think you will find rhythms and melodies you have not yet played that will attract and fascinate you as they have me. I hope you have as much fun with them as I have.
1. Siway Azucena - The rhythm of this piece is a lot of fun. It's a
little complicated by the fact that each measure doesn't always have
the same number of beats. You may have to count this out slowly at
first. I would just give one beat to a sixteenth note and two for an
eighth note, so in a 2/8 measure, a measure will have four beats, a
3/8 measure would have six. You can give a beat to any kind of note
when you count or use the metronome.
2. El Noy de la Mar - There are many Catalonian songs that are truly
beautiful. This one is very well known and one of my favorites. It is
a classic. The title means "Joy of the Mother." Although
it's a Christmas song, you can play it anytime of year as most people
wouldn't recognize it as being seasonal.
3. Urubamba - I have found the music of Bolivia to be very
attractive. It has a particular feel that I can't seem to get enough
of. The rhythmic figure in the first measure of this piece is the
same as Siway: Sixteenth, eighth, sixteenth. You will find this
syncopation often in the music in this collection. Listening to the
CD will help you learn these pieces.
4. Brazilian Lullaby - This is a fairly well known piece from Brazil.
I have seen it arranged for many different instruments, but never
with a variation and never for the flute. The accompanying CD is a
great aid to learning all of these pieces. The more you listen to the
CD, the easier pieces will become to play.
5. Linda Amiga - This is a lovely tune from Spain. It can sound like
a lullaby. It doesn't have the rhythmic complexity of some of the
other pieces, but it's a lovely piece with a charm all its own.
6. Chula - This is a piece from the Andes. I don't know too much
about it, which gives me the opportunity to explain something. The
title or book is just an excuse for me. It's a way to present what I
believe are great pieces to someone in a way that makes sense. I
suppose I could just have a book which said "Great Pieces for
the Flute" but it has little charisma, and what would I do when
I got to a second book, or a fifth? The point is that what I want to
present to you are pieces that you can't stop playing. No filler,
just great pieces that you will want to come back to again and again.
So whether it's a Medieval piece, a Celtic jig or a syncopated tune
from Spain or South America, it's all the same to me. It's just great music.
7. Zorongo - I love this piece. I first arranged it for the guitar,
then made a flute and guitar version and one also for the mandolin.
This piece is a blast to play with the CD and it's probably the most
challenging piece in the book.
8. El Rio - The Music of the Andes has a similar feel, no matter
which country it is from. El Rio is a good example of this
phenomenon. On the CD, I usually I have two measures of introduction,
but on a few pieces I doesn't seem like enough so sometimes I add more.
9. Navidava Puri Nihua - Keep in mind while you are playing these
pieces that as you learn the piece, you can alter the balance on your
stereo and make the flute part disappear and play along with just the
guitar. This piece has triplets which can be difficult to play
accurately. The best way to approach playing triplets is to sit with
a metronome. Play three to a click until you can do it smoothly, then
once you can do that, switch to two notes per click. It might take
you a while to be able to switch smoothly back and forth. This tune
is challenging to play in time, but well worth the effort.
10. Canto Para Cosechar la Papa translates to "The Potato
Gathering Song." It's from Bolivia and has that dark melodic
uneven measures that I have become accustomed to expect from Bolivian
music. Venezuela and Bolivia are my two favorite countries for music
from South America.
11. Danza Pixueta - The phrasing of this piece takes a little bit to
get used to, but once you do it's hard to stop playing. Most of the
phrases we become used to are in two and four measures. The phrases
of this piece are five measures long which is unusual.
12. Jota Puntiada and Xiraldilla de Llaviana - I made a medley of
these lovely two pieces. They are great for dancing and performing.
Remember when you have two sixteenth notes followed by an eighth
note, you actually have to play three fast notes in a row.
13. Anillo de Oro means "Ring of Gold," and it's one of my
favorite pieces in the collection. It's another piece in which all
the measures are not the same length. Also notice the rhythm of the
first measure. It's that same one we saw in Urubamba and Siway.
14. Moorish Dance - The Moors invaded Spain around 711 and in doing
so had a profound effect on their culture. The music bears this
impact. This is a piece which the melodies are very typical of a
Moorish Dance a Flamenco guitarists might play. The melody has a very
strong Moorish feel and I am betting it's very different from
anything you currently play.
15. Monica Perez - This syncopated quick Joropo from Venezuela is fun
to play and quick to learn. Be sure not to leave out notes. It's easy
when you have a number of repeated notes to start to leave some of
them out, so it's a good idea to pay close attention to this.
16. Aire de Salamanca - From the Salamanca region of Spain, this
piece has a very attractive melody and phrasing. This is not as well
known as many of the pieces in this collection, but it's one that
will attract an audience's attention.
17. Cancion de los Incas - Along with a Moorish dance, an Inca Song
is often a part of the repertoire of a Flamenco guitarist. The metal
flute has a sound quite a bit the flute which often is used to play
the native music of the Andes. You can have a very authentic sounding
Inca Song using the flute.
18. Danza de los Hachas was written by Gaspar Sanz in the Baroque
period (1650-1750). It was written for the Baroque guitar and works
well on many instruments. In fact Joaquin Rodrigo used this theme as
part of his famous "Fantasía para un Gentilhombre"
which was based on melodies that Sanz had written or arranged. The
concerto by Rodrigo is dedicated to Andres Segovia.
19. The Merchant's Daughter is another lovely Catalonian song. I
added an introduction and variation to make it longer. Miguel Llobett
popularized many of these pieces with a set of arrangements for
classical guitar in the early nineteen-hundreds.
20. Spanish Ballad - The movie "Jeux Interdits" (Forbidden
Games) popularized this piece and every classical guitarist seems to
enjoy playing it. In this arrangement, the parts that the solo guitar
play are split up between the two instruments.
21. Song from Uruguay - This piece is much easier to count. The
guitar part was fun putting together. Some pieces sound better with a
simple chordal background, and some like this one, sound better with
the guitar playing another melody behind the flute.
22. Folias de Espana - This is a very popular melody which has been
played since the renaissance. Many composers have also written theme
and variations on this melody including Corelli. Joquin Rodrigo's
concerto "Fantasia por Gentlehombre" for the guitar is
based on the pieces by Gaspar Sanz. The Folias I like the best is
written by Gaspar Sanz, a guitarist in the baroque period. This is an
arrangement made from his solo guitar work.
23. Buenos Reyes - The title translates to "The Good King."
It is a Christmas song, but there aren't many people that will
recognize it as one. I use it often for jobs and have never had a
comment on the fact that it was out of season. It's a fun up tempo
piece that should get most people's attention.
24. El Pano Moruno - Anyone would recognize this as a piece of music
from Spain. It is a lot of fun to play. It has an engaging rhythm and
some very traditional Spanish chord changes. Measures such as 11 and
15 can be tricky because the phrase ends on the third beat of the
measure, rather than the first beat of the following measure. It may
sound a bit odd at first, but with time, it will become natural and
fun to play.
25. Espanoletta - This melody also dates back to the Renaissance and
it's another piece that Gaspar Sanz arranged for Baroque guitar. He
wrote and arranged many pieces for the baroque guitar, and many of
the melodies have lasted and become part of the modern guitar repertoire.
26. Muchacha Bonita means "Pretty Girl." It is from the
Andes Mountains of Peru. As with many of the pieces in this
collection, you may find the rhythm to be the most challenging part
of learning it. You will grow as a musician as you become comfortable
with these complex rhythms.
27. Sevillanas - This is actually a melody which is from a
traditional Spanish flamenco piece. It is a quick happy piece and is
fun to play along with the guitar which is doing a flamenco type
rhythm as an accompaniment.
28. Si la Nieve Resbala - The rhythm is much more straightforward in
this piece. The theme is wonderful. It sounds to me like the entrance
of the King and his court.
29. Cual es aquel Pajarita - This is one of my favorite pieces in
this collection. It is still syncopated, but the rhythm should not be
too much of a challenge for you. The piece is one that will stick in
your mind and you may find yourself humming it.
30. Ancient Song - A haunting piece that can go very slow. It's also
easy to memorize. For most of the pieces in this book I have used a
fairly simple guitar part. There are a few pieces where I became more
involved. This is one of them. I used a melodic accompaniment.
31. Bolivian Dance - This piece is very syncopated and typical of the
dark sounding music that comes from Bolivia. A metronome will be very
helpful in working out the rhythms in this and other pieces in this
collection. It will take some time, but stick with it because there
are few things more fun in music than complex rhythms.
32. Mountains of the Incas - The first half of this piece is played
as a round. The second half is a variation on the melody and the
guitar has a simple accompaniment. I believe this is one of the
easier pieces in the book.
33. Desde Barquinha ao Telhado is reminiscent of the folk song from
Catalan "El Testament d'Amelia" which is found in this
book. Even though they are in different keys, these two pieces could
easily be combined and played together to make a longer piece.
34. Si Tuvieramos Aceite - This piece is one of my favorites and is
certainly permeated with the feel of Spain. It's also almost a blues
piece. With the combination of the syncopation and tempo I can
picture this being played by a sophisticated blues band.
35. A Lado de mi Canon - This piece is in 3/4 time so it qualifies as
a waltz. The tie between the third beat of the measure and the first
beat of the next measure may take a little playing as the sound is a
little confusing. Normally the accent is on the first beat of the
measure but on this piece where the tie is, it's on the last beat of
the measure. With a little time, the syncopation will feel quite natural.
36. Tres Hojitas, Madre - When you have phrases that repeat as they
do in this selection, you can add variation by changing the volume.
This is really a magical piece with original phrasing and a very
addictive melody line. I really enjoyed writing the variation.
37. Hakumamai Purisisun - This tune is hypnotic. I did an arrangement
of it for guitar solo and also for flute and guitar. I took part of
the accompaniment from the flute and guitar version and adapted it
for this one. There is some imitation near the end of the piece where
the guitar mimics the melody the mandolin plays. The title translates
to "O Dearest Mother."
38. Mayan Dance - This piece is played as a round between the guitar
and flute. It may be a little confusing when you play along, but it's
really a lot of fun once you become accustomed to it. The piece
wasn't designed this way, the accompaniment just happened to work out
this way.
39. A la mar fui por naranxes - Aleksandra who plays this on a
mandolin says that this tune is like a fine port that warms the soul.
I think its' the same on the flute. The rhythm isn't complex, and the
variation fills out the piece nicely. I don't believe you will tire
of this piece for a very long time, if ever.
40. Baxaben cuatro Ayeranos - This is a melody that I have always
wanted to play. I never knew it though until I heard it. Be careful
to hold the dotted notes long enough, it's very easy to cut them off
when you have a dotted eighth followed by a sixteenth.
41. La Dancitas - This is such a happy carefree piece and I believe
the melody will start going through your head when you don't expect
it. It's lots of fun and there are many ways to play with it if you
have someone to accompany you. Like many of these dances, it can take
a lot of repetition.
42. Me Llamaste Morenita - This piece should not pose too many
problems. The variation is fun and fills out the piece which would
otherwise be a bit too short for an instrumental solo.
On the accompanying CD Wendy Norman is playing the Flute, and I am the accompanist playing guitar on all the tracks. Both the flute and the guitar tracks are my arrangements.