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If you've already read the program notes immediately below, or want to skip them for now, you can click here to go immediately to:

• the computer-played MP3 and MIDI files, or
• the live-performance MP3 files

Table of Contents (TOC) of these Program Notes

• The Basics
  • Introduction
  • Instrumentation
  • Duration
  • Composition date
  • The Three movements
  • Tonality
  • First performance
  • Computer performers (when human ones are absent)
  
  
• Structure notes
  
  
• Computer-played MP3 and MIDI files
  
• Live-performance MP3 files
  
  
• Score package
  

The Basics

Introduction

This short flute and piano duet, in 3 movements, was composed in June 2005 with the hope that its first performance might take place here at "SwallowHill" in September 2005 by Fred Cory (flute) and Marin Cook (piano).

Instrumentation

Flute
Piano

Duration

About 9 minutes in total (1st Mvt 3-1/2 min, 2nd Mvt 3-3/4 min, 3rd Mvt 1-1/2 min

Composition date

June 2005

The Three movements

1. Talking & Walking
2. Breathing & Waltzing
3. Running

Tonality

The first movement is more or less atonal -- though there's a tendency for sections 1a & 1b to favour C Minor (though finally ending in F Major) and for sections b1 & b2 to favour F Major. In the second movement the "breathing" sections are more or less atonal -- but tend to ultimately resolve on Eb Major. The "waltzing" sandwich in the middle is in C Minor. The third movement is tonal -- the 1a & 1b sections being in C Minor while the 2a and 2b sections in the middle are in G Major (or sometimes, possibly, G Minor).

First performance

Computer performers (when human ones are absent)

Like all the MIDI files here, it is in General MIDI form. The General MIDI patches are:

	Part	General MIDI patch
		name	#
	Flute	Flute	73
	Piano	Acoustic Grand Piano	0

How they sound will depend on your own playback software.

On my own synth I used the following patches:

	Part	Sound Module	Patch
			name	#
	Flute	Roland XV5080	Cncert Flute	#103 in bank 9
	Piano	Roland RD500	Gr Piano A1	#0

These are what you hear on the mp3 files.

Structure notes

I - Talking & Walking

II - Breathing & Waltzing

III - Running

Computer-played MP3 and MIDI files
(Click on icons below to play MIDI and/or download MP3 files)

Year	Title ... Instrumentation ...... Excerpts	Min: Sec	Complete MP3 files (better sound)** file size	MP3 file excerpts (better sound)** file size	Complete MIDI files (not as good sound but quick)**
	The complete piece (computer-played):
2005	Little Flute and Piano Suite ... a duet for flute and piano in 3 movements	8:52
	How the MIDI file sounds depends, of course, on your playback mechanism. On my computer, MIDI files are played by the QuickTime PlugIn and the piano is OK but the flute sound is a little beepy and a bit too loud (I didn't adjust the MIDI balance perfectly it seems). In contrast, the mp3 files have a mellower piano, a much richer flute sound, and better balance throughout. Of course, if you have a synthesizer, you can download the MIDI file and set the flute and piano to your own preferred patches and then rebalance the volumes -- but that's a lot more work than downloading the complete mp3 file.
-- 1. Talking & Walking	3:31	2.0 MB
	After brief introductory piano chords, there is an exposition of "talking" by the flute with a following piano commentary underneath. The initial conversation is extended slightly and then moves into a "walking" section (with the piano providing the walking rhythm and the flute now being a little more melodic). Eventually the "talking" mode returns in a more extended form and ends with a quiet coda (the flute hanging on while the piano modulates quietly below). The mp3 file is much mellower and in better balance than the MIDI file.
-- 2. Breathing & Waltzing	3:47	2.2 MB
	This movement begins with slow meditative "breathing" by both piano and flute. It is gradually extended until interrupted by a slow "waltzing" section in the middle. the "breathing" section returns, this time with a few additional ornaments in the flute. The mp3 file is much mellower and in better balance than the MIDI file.
-- 3. Running	1:34	0.9 MB
	This movement begins with a "running" or jogging theme. In the middle the run continues but with a different theme. The original running theme returns and drives on to the end. The mp3 file is much mellower and in better balance than the MIDI file.
	Short excerpts (computer-played):
	...... start from 1. Talking & Walking	0:44		0.4 MB
	Intro (brief introductory piano chords). Then 1a (a brief exposition of "talking" by the flute with a following piano commentary underneath). Then 1b (picking the 1a idea and taking it further).
	...... middle from 1. Talking & Walking	0:24		0.2 MB
	b1 -- the beginning of the walking section (with the piano providing the walking rhythm and the flute now being a little more melodic).
	...... end from 1. Talking & Walking	0:27		0.3 MB
	The last part of 1b ending with a quiet coda (the flute hangs on while the piano modulates quietly below). Indeed, the piano ending is hardly audible in the MIDI file but comes through OK in the mp3 file.
	...... start from 2. Breathing & Waltzing	0:22		0.2 MB
	1a -- slow meditative "breathing" by both piano and flute.
	...... middle from 2. Breathing & Waltzing	0:23		0.2 MB
	The start of the waltzing section beginning with a very short theme 2a repeated in 2b but this time extended to an ending.
	...... end from 2. Breathing & Waltzing	0:27		0.4 MB
	1b in the final breathing section -- with a few additional ornaments in the flute.
	...... start from 3. Running	0:25		0.2 MB
	1a -- a "running" or jogging theme with a transitional ending.
	...... middle from 3. Running	0:19		0.2 MB
	Continuing the run butwith a different theme (2a), then repeated in a slight variation (2b).
	...... end from 3. Running	0:09		0.1 MB
	the last part of 1b and on to the end.

** If you have a high-speed connection, forget about the MIDI files and just use the MP3 files (better). If you have a dial-up connection, consider the faster (but not as good) MIDI file only if the MP3 files seem to be taking too long to play or download.

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Live-performance MP3 files
(Click on icons below to play and/or download MP3 files)

Year	Title ... Instrumentation ...... Excerpts	Min: Sec	Complete MP3 files (better sound) file size	MP3 file extracts (better sound) file size
	The complete piece (live performance Sep 17/05):
2005	Little Flute and Piano Suite ... a duet for piano and flute in 3 movements	9:30
-- 1. Talking & Walking	4:31	2.6 MB
	After brief introductory piano chords, there is an exposition of "talking" by the flute with a following piano commentary underneath. The initial conversation is extended slightly and then moves into a "walking" section (with the piano providing the walking rhythm and the flute now being a little more melodic). Eventually the "talking" mode returns in a more extended form and ends with a quiet coda (the flute hanging on while the piano modulates quietly below). In this live-performance recording the piano is perhaps a little soft (compared to the computer-played file) -- an artefact of the setting of the recording microphones.
-- 2. Breathing & Waltzing	3:26	2.0 MB
	This movement begins with slow meditative "breathing" by both piano and flute. It is gradually extended until interrupted by a slow "waltzing" section in the middle. the "breathing" section returns, this time with a few additional ornaments in the flute.
-- 3. Running	1:33	0.9 MB
	This movement begins with a "running" or jogging theme. In the middle the run continues but with a different theme. The original running theme returns and drives on to the end. In this live-performance recording the flute's occasional "flutter tonguing" comes across much better than I could simulate it on the computer-played file.
	Short excerpts (live performance):
	...... start from 1. Talking & Walking	0:58		0.6 MB
	Intro (brief introductory piano chords). Then 1a (a brief exposition of "talking" by the flute with a following piano commentary underneath). Then 1b (picking the 1a idea and taking it further). In this live-performance recording the piano is perhaps a little soft (compared to the computer-played file) -- an artefact of the setting of the recording microphones.
	...... middle from 1. Talking & Walking	0:29		0.3 MB
	b1 -- the beginning of the walking section (with the piano providing the walking rhythm and the flute now being a little more melodic). In this live-performance recording the piano is perhaps a little soft (compared to the computer-played file) -- an artefact of the setting of the recording microphones.
	...... end from 1. Talking & Walking	0:39		0.4 MB
	The last part of 1b ending with a quiet coda (the flute hangs on while the piano modulates quietly below).
	...... start from 2. Breathing & Waltzing	0:21		0.2 MB
	1a -- slow meditative "breathing" by both piano and flute.
	...... middle from 2. Breathing & Waltzing	0:20		0.2 MB
	The start of the waltzing section beginning with a very short theme 2a repeated in 2b but this time extended to an ending.
	...... end from 2. Breathing & Waltzing	0:36		0.4 MB
	1b in the final breathing section -- with a few additional ornaments in the flute.
	...... start from 3. Running	0:25		0.3 MB
	1a -- a "running" or jogging theme with a transitional ending. In this live-performance recording the flute's occasional "flutter tonguing" comes across much better than I could simulate it on the computer-played file.
	...... middle from 3. Running	0:19		0.2 MB
	Continuing the run butwith a different theme (2a), then repeated in a slight variation (2b).
	...... end from 3. Running	0:10		0.1 MB
	the last part of 1b and on to the end.

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Score Package
(Click on icons below to download pdf and/or rtf files)

Year	Title ... Instrumentation	Description	No. of score pages	Score (pdf file) file size	No. of text pages	Text (rtf file) file size
2005	Little Flute and Piano Suite ... a duet for flute and piano in 3 movements	text			3	8 KB
	-- 1. Talking & Walking ... 1st movement	Complete score *	7	0.3 MB
	-- 2. Breathing & Waltzing ... 2nd movement	Complete score *	5	0.2 MB
	-- 3. Running ... 2nd movement	Complete score *	4	0.1 MB
	* email me if you would like any part extractions

(you will need the free Stuffit Expander for decompressing the rtf.sitx files)
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http://www.rodmer.com/RodMusic/ProgramNotes/LFPSNotes.html -- Revised Sep 27, 2005
Copyright © 2005 Rod Anderson
rod@rodmer.com
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