With Easter now just around the corner, I thought this week I’d share a few musical suggestions for flute music for Easter. And at this time of year, what could be better than some Bach, beautifully arranged for one or two flutes and piano?
First (and a real favourite of mine):
J.S. BACH FOUR ARIAS FROM THE PASSIONS
The flute duet score is arranged from the vocal solo and instrumental obbligato parts, and the choral and orchestral score has been arranged to create a new piano accompaniment. These wonderful arias work beautifully both in church services and in concert performance.
Four Arias from the Passions (arr. and ed. Elisabeth Parry and John Alley, published by Aurea Capra) won first prize in the NFA Newly Published Music competition 2020 and has been a best-seller ever since. As one reviewer writes: “This book is a real treat and you will return to it every Easter time for for years!”
During lockdown (five long years ago) I recorded one of the duets, “Ich will dir mein Herze schenken” from the St. Matthew Passion, playing both parts against John’s recorded accompaniment—as we had to back in those difficult days. Not the easiest way to create a video recording, but it still gives a glimpse of this beautiful music.
J. S. BACH FLUTE OBBLIGATOS VOL. 1 (WITH PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT)
This book is the first in our project to arrange piano accompaniments for all of Bach’s flute obbligatos from the cantatas and passions. Volume 1 contains:
Aus Liebe from the St Matthew Passion
Ich folge dir gleichfalls from the St John Passion
Zerfliesse, mein Herze from the St John Passion
Seele, deine Spezereien from the Easter Oratorio BWV 249.
These four obbligato arias are iconic pieces of flute music for Easter. The volume also contains Domine deus and Benedictus from the Mass in B minor, which are not specifically for Easter but which nonetheless would make a perfect musical addition to an Easter service.
The newly arranged accompaniments make these obbligatos into performable solos for flute and piano. As one reviewer says: “Integrating the vocal line into the accompaniment means that we can really gain experience from these arrangements and have insider knowledge when it comes to playing the original. Such a good idea!”
Bach Flute Obbligatos vol. 1 (arr. and ed. Elisabeth Parry and John Alley, published by Aurea Capra) was a winner in the NFA Newly Published Music competition 2021.
In this video Japanese flutist, Rie Shimizu, performs our arrangement of Benedictus from the B minor Mass—not strictly for Easter, of course, but a beautiful addition to any Lent or Easter service.
