The Sonatine for Flute and Piano is an early work by the 20th-century French composer

Henri Dutilleux Henri Paul Julien Dutilleux (; 22 January 1916 – 22 May 2013) was a French composer active mainly in the second half of the 20th century. His small body of published work, which garnered international acclaim, followed in the tradition of ...

, composed and published in 1943. It lasts about 9 minutes and consists of three movements, played without break.

Overview

The ''Sonatine for Flute and Piano'' is one of a series of four test pieces for the

Paris Conservatoire The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

that Dutilleux wrote between 1942 and 1951. They were commissioned by then-director

Claude Delvincourt Claude Étienne Edmond Marie Pierre Delvincourt (12 January 1888 – 5 April 1954) was a French pianist and composer of classical music. Biography Delvincourt was born in Paris, the son of Pierre Delvincourt and Marguerite Fourès. He studie ...

. These pieces were intended both to test the technique of the students and provide them with new scores. Dutilleux was notoriously critical of his early works, including the ''Sonatine''. He once stated that he had never been completely happy that it was played so often but he never withdrew it. The work has become a standard of the flute repertoire and has been performed many times by flautists such as Sharon Bezaly, James Strauss and

Emmanuel Pahud Emmanuel Pahud (born 27 January 1970) is a Franco-Swiss flautist. He was born in Geneva, Switzerland. His father is of French and Swiss background and his mother is French. The Berlin-based flutistPatrick LamEmmanuel Pahud – The showcase behi ...

. As of 2014, it is Dutilleux's most often recorded work.

Music

The sonatine is structured in 3 sections played without a break.http://www.eclassical.com/shop/17115/art10/4940010-9eda5e-809730512629.pdf The first section features a mysterious theme in contrasting with jagged piano figures. It concludes with a cadenza that provides a transition to the lyrical second section. The last section features rapid exchanges between the flute and the piano before another short but difficult cadenza recalls the themes heard before. A frenzied accelerando played by both instruments concludes the piece.

Structure

# Allegretto # Andante # Animé

References

Compositions by Henri Dutilleux 1943 compositions Sonatinas Compositions for flute {{sonata-stub