A flute ensemble is an instrumental chamber ensemble consisting of members of the
flute family
The western concert flute family has a wide range of instruments.
Piccolo
The piccolo is the highest-pitched member of the flute family, with a range an octave above that of the concert flute. It is usually the highest-pitched instrument within ...
.
Flute quartet
In a more traditional sense, a flute quartet consists of a flute and a
string trio
A string trio is a group of three string instruments or a piece written for such a group. From at least the 19th century on, the term "string trio" with otherwise unspecified instrumentation normally refers to the combination violin, viola and cell ...
(i.e., a violin, viola, and cello). This arrangement flourished in the eighteenth century, particularly through composers such as
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...
,
Carl Friedrich Abel
Carl Friedrich Abel (22 December 1723 – 20 June 1787) was a German composer of the Classical era. He was a renowned player of the viola da gamba, and produced significant compositions for that instrument.
Life
Abel was born in Köthen, ...
, and
Ferdinand Ries
Ferdinand Ries (baptised 28 November 1784 – 13 January 1838) was a German composer. Ries was a friend, pupil and secretary of Ludwig van Beethoven. He composed eight symphonies, a violin concerto, nine piano concertos (the first concerto ...
, among others. However, as of the twentieth century, a modern flute quartet typically refers to an arrangement of four flautists.
The flute quartet does not have any set arrangement, but common configurations include:
* Piccolo, Concert Flute, Alto Flute, Bass Flute
* Two Concert Flutes, Alto Flute, Bass Flute
* Four Concert Flutes
Flute choir
The modern definition of a flute choir is a recent development; likewise, the abundance of literature specifically written for the ensemble has grown alongside the ensemble itself. In the 1960s, flute choirs began to surface within colleges and communities. As there was very little music available for the instrumentation, directors of the individual groups arranged and composed music for the group. Over time, these groups learned of each other. The performers' love of the flute family eventually led to the formation of the
National Flute Association
The National Flute Association (NFA) is the largest flute organization in the world, with roughly 5,000 members from more than 50 countries. It is an association in the United States with headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. Members include soloists ...
. In turn, this led to an increase not only in music written for the flute and flute choir, but also to an increase in flute choirs. As the literature for the ensemble expanded, more flute choirs began to form.
, Flute Frenzy. Retrieved March 2012.
Instrumentation
The following instruments, listed by descending range, can be included in a flute choir:
* Piccolo
The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...
(in C, sounding an octave above the concert flute)
* Treble flute (in G, sounding a fifth above the concert flute)
* Soprano flute (in E, sounding a minor third above the concert flute)
* Concert Flute
The Western concert flute is a family of transverse (side-blown) woodwind instruments made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist (in British English), flutist (in Ame ...
(in C)
* Alto flute
The alto flute is an instrument in the Western concert flute family, the second-highest member below the standard C flute after the uncommon flûte d'amour. It is the third most common member of its family after the standard C flute and the ...
(sounding a fourth below the concert flute)
* Bass flute
The bass flute is a member of the flute family. It is in the key of C, pitched one octave below the concert flute. Despite its name, its playing range makes it the tenor member of the flute family. Because of the length of its tube (approximate ...
(sounding an octave below the concert flute)
* Contra-alto flute
The contra-alto flute is a large member of the flute family, pitched between the bass and the contrabass. It is a transposing instrument either in G (a perfect fourth below the bass and one octave below the alto) or in F (a perfect fifth below th ...
(sounding an octave below the alto flute)
* Contrabass flute
The contrabass flute is one of the rarer members of the flute family. Typically seen in flute ensembles, it is sometimes also used in solo and chamber music situations. Its range is similar to the regular concert flute, except it is pitched two ...
(sounding an octave below the bass flute and two octaves below the concert flute)
* Subcontrabass flute
The subcontrabass flute (also double contra-alto flute) is one of the largest instruments in the flute family, with tubing measuring over long. The instrument is made either in the key of G, pitched a fourth below the contrabass flute in C and t ...
(very rare, often called the contrabass flute in G, sounding two octaves below the alto flute)
* Double contrabass flute
The double contrabass flute (also octobass flute; subcontrabass flute) is the largest and lowest pitched metal flute, with of tubing (the hyperbass flute, an octave lower, is made from PVC and wood). It is pitched in the key of C, three octaves ...
(very rare, sounding one octave below the contrabass flute, two below the bass flute and three below the concert flute)
The flûte d'amour
The flûte d'amour ( it, flauto d'amore, german: Liebesflöte, translates as: Love Flute) is an uncommon member of the Western concert flute family, pitched in A, A, or B and is intermediate in size between the modern C concert flute and the alto ...
in B or A is also occasionally seen in flute choirs. The G treble flute is used predominantly in the modern flute choirs of Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The most common instrumentation for a "standard" flute choir can be seen in much of the literature:
* Piccolo
* 3-4 Concert Flute
* Alto Flute
* Bass Flute
By the mid-2010s, many of the well-established community and professional-level ensembles have acquired at least one contrabass flute.
As some groups do not have access to the larger flutes, some alterations are usually provided. Alto flute parts are usually accompanied by a transposed part for the concert flute (usually including certain octave changes because of the extended range of the alto). The sheer cost and limited availability of flutes lower than the bass flute usually prevent most community-based flute choirs from performing these works. However, many flute choirs use the lower voices of the string section ( such as the cello
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...
or double bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...
) to cover these lower parts.
Repertoire
While most of the initial music arranged for flute choir included little more than transcriptions of classical pieces for orchestra and chamber ensembles, in recent years many new compositions have been created by such active composers as Ian Clarke, Sophie Lacaze
Phyllis Louke
Catherine McMichael
Ron Korb
an
Judy Nishimura
Doina Rotaru, among others. Although flute choirs are still a relatively new ensemble in the history of music, much of the established repertoire is available at many music stores worldwide, in addition to sites focused solely on the ensemble, such as ALRY Publications and Flute World
See also
*Flute concerto A flute concerto is a concerto for solo flute and instrumental ensemble, customarily the orchestra. Such works have been written from the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up through the present day. Some major compose ...
References
External links
''Arcadie''
by Marc Berthomieu performed by the Quatuor Pelleas flute quartet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flute Choir
Chamber music
Side-blown flutes
Types of musical groups