Thirty-Two Rose Etudes for Flute

Description

Flute, Piano — The Thirty-two Etudes by Cyrille Rose (1830–1903) are toclarinetists what the Twenty-six Selected Studies of JosephHenri Altes (1826–1895) are to flutists. They are an indispensiblemethod of wind playing for musicians to learn phrasing,to incorporate implied harmonic contrasts in solo playing, andto understand the finesse and control of the air stream. Theyare based largely on the Forty-eight Etudes for Oboe, Op. 31by Franz Wilhelm Ferling (1796–1874). Rose transcribed themidiomatically for clarinet, keeping the spirit of Ferling’s etudes,but occasionally altered the key, melody, articulation andphrase markings to fit the student clarinetist.Flutist Altes and clarinetist Rose were colleagues as teachersin the Paris Conservatoire as well as alumni, Altes receivingFirst Prize in 1841 under the tutelage of Tulou (another flutistcomposer)and Rose in 1847 under the tutelage of Klosé. Theiretudes were major influences on the birth and development ofthe then-modern Boehm-system flute and the Boehm-systeminspiredBuffet clarinet. Altes wrote his Complete Method forFlute that include the twenty-six etudes as well and composeda helpful duet part for the flute teacher. For clarinetists, Roseleft it to the performer to interpret the accompaniment, and afew composers have done that in modern times by producingarrangements for clarinet and piano and for clarinet duo.From the time they were written to the present day, clarinetistsaround the world have held these studies in high regard.They were taught during a time when music was transformingthe world through opera, orchestra and ballet, and Rose wasxa0inspired to train the student for the orchestral working environsof the time. Written in the order of C Major, A Minor, G major, EMinor, F major, D Minor, D Major, B Minor, B≤ Major, G Minor,A Major, C Minor, E≤ Major, C Minor, E Major, B Major, and D≤Major, the etudes are designed to help the performer masterthe inherent technical issues in each key, demanding properintonation, phrasing and attention musical details and gestures;moreover, each key features an etude in a slow tempoand in a fast tempo. However, there are very few markings toguide the student in the style in which they should be played,so it is advised not to play them before the student is ready toplay with musicality and skill.To flutists, I advise studying these etudes repeatedly andlistening for the connection of the notes with the finger movement,not just concentrating on fast flute technique. Listen tothe control of your airstream throughout the middle register,avoiding the common pitfalls that occur in the middle octaveof the flute, such as an unfocused tone and sharp pitch. Makesure your interpretation is based on the overall arching of thephrases, not just on tempo. Breathing is also a challenge to theflutist, since many of the phrases are not evenly measured andgreat care is needed in choosing where to breathe. As theseetudes are written for the range of the clarinet and based onthe range of the oboe, I have chosen to raise the octave placementin some of the etudes to make the etudes more suitedfor all the octaves of the modern flute. Remember that in thismusic, accidentals carry through the measure. Master flutist Amy Porter has reworked the famous etudes of Cyrille Rose for flute, allowing students of the instrument to reap the rewards of pieces that have benefited clarinetists for generations. As these etudes were written for the range of the clarinet and based on the range of Ferling’s oboe etudes, Porter has raised the octave placement in some exercises to make them more suited for all the octaves of the modern flute. This edition also includes a data CD containing piano accompaniments written and performed by John Walker in both MP3 and printable PDF format. In this form, the Rose etudes will become as essential to flute students as they are to clarinetists, as both practice and recital pieces.