(Sample) Orchestral Excerpts for flute/ piccolo

Dr. Nicole Riner

Objectives This class is designed to provide the student with a variety of experiences crucial to performing successfully in the University orchestra and taking successful auditions in the professional orchestral arena. Skills to be developed include blending as a section, learning standard performance practices of some of the standard orchestral literature for flute and piccolo, and building the mental skills to perform well under pressure.

Evaluation At the end of the term, each student will perform a mock audition consisting of the exposition of Mozart’s G Major concerto, four flute excerpts of the student’s choice, and three piccolo excerpts of the student’s choice. These auditions will be played for a committee of the professor and the rest of the students in the class; all committee members will submit substantive, constructive written comments for each performer. Successful performance of the mock audition, as determined by the professor, is required in order to receive credit for the class. In addition, students are required to be fully prepared on their parts each and every week of class; some weeks this will require more work than others. If a student is not prepared on her/ his parts, s/he will be asked to sit out the rest of class. Each time this occurs, the student’s letter grade will be cut by a half-letter (so, from A to A-, etc.). If this poses or becomes a problem for you, please see me immediately.

Schedule The form of this class will vary; see schedule for specific plans. On days designated as “sectionals”, please bring your orchestra folders. On days in which we will work on excerpt sets from the reserve folders, we will play parts as a section, rotating parts so that each student plays each part. Other excerpts will be worked in masterclass fashion, and may be learned from the Baxtresser book, unless otherwise noted.

Materials With the exception of two books, required materials are on reserve at the music library under “Riner”. It is the students’ responsibility to become extremely familiar with, and copy when necessary, all materials in this reserve file by the scheduled date we will cover that material. All materials are Dr. Riner’s personal property; therefore, please take great care with things while they are in your possession.

Required materials (to be purchased):

Mozart, W.A. Concerto for Flute in G Major, K. 315, any edition.

Loehr, James E. Toughness Training for Sports. New York: Penguin, 1995.

Materials on reserve:

Kujala, Walfrid. Orchestral Techniques for Flute and Piccolo. Evanston: Progress Press, 1992.

Debussy Prelude to the afternoon of a Faun (flutes 1&2)

Dvořák New World Symphony

Prokofiev Classical Symphony

Ravel Daphnis and Chloe Suite No. 2 (flutes 1&2, piccolo)

Ravel Ma mére l’oye

Rossini Italian in Algiers (flute, piccolo)

Rossini Semiramide (flute, piccolo)

Sousa Stars and Stripes (piccolo)

Stravinsky Firebird (flute1, piccolo)

Tchiakovsky Symphony No. 4, Scherzo (flutes 1&2, piccolo)

Schedule of Classes

Week 1 Introduction, Mozart Concerto in G Major, exposition

Week 2 Discuss Toughness Training for Sports, chapters 1–9

Week 3 Rossini Italian in Algiers, Semiramide sets

Week 4 Ravel Ma mére l’oye set

Week 5 Beethoven Symphony No. 9 for piccolo (Kujala, p. 28); Stars and Stripes piccolo solo

Week 6 Ravel Daphnis set

Week 7 Ravel Daphnis set, continued

Week 8 Dvořák New World set

Week 9 Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 set

Week 10 Stravinsky Firebird set

Week 11 Stravinsky Firebird set, continued

Week 12 Debussy Prelude set

Week 13 Prokofiev Classical Symphony set

Week 14 Discuss Toughness Training for Sports; concluding remarks

Week 15 FINAL EXAM: mock audition