Duo for two Flutes

My teacher gave me an assignment to write a short miniature for a duo of two treble instruments of the same kind (two flutes, two violins etc.) and I chose two flutes. I took a great deal of inspiration from Bach's inventions but put that inspiration in a freetonal environment. The formal idea I had was to increase in intensity and then decrease again like an arc stretching from the beginning to the end.

Duo for two Flutes

This is certainly an interesting piece. However, I have a few suggestions, and most of them are technical ones.

From a compositional standpoint, you might want to look at having the parts switch octaves so First Flute is not always above Second Flute. One of the interesting things you can do with pieces of this nature is to have a little fight between the various parts. In other words, start out with First Flute and Second Flute as written, but at some point have them in the same general region, so there's a bit of question as to who's the higher of the two parts, then have them separate so Second Flute is above First.

One of the things I've noticed as I've performed on and written for the entire family of Flutes, from Piccolo down to Contrabass, is that there are four main areas of the range of the instrument, similar to the Piccolo and many other wind instruments. While the upper areas you can easily jump between for emphasis, some of your jumps in the Second Flute part are horribly difficult. Not impossible, and they aren't difficult as far as fingering goes; they are just difficult to sound out some of those lower notes. As you write more music for Flute, certainly, the lower fifth (C to G, as you should only write B/Bb if you know for a fact your performer has that access) is a very powerful voice, but it takes a small amount of time for the pitches to sound at the strength most people want them to. My question is whether your performer will be able to get out those Cs and C#s and Ds before having to move to another pitch.

Sometimes, you can get away with jumps, such as the start of Second Flute in measure 2. There is enough time to start the C just a hair early so the pitch gets sounded as written. Also, you need to include some articulation, otherwise these jumps are going to sound even more problematic. Without articulation, everything is going to be tongued, and even at 140 eighths per minute, the performers will still have their work cut out for them trying to separate all these notes. I know I would not be able to pull this off correctly as written, and I've been playing the flute for thirteen years. But then again, I'm a composer first, so I focus more on that than on performing (though it obviously is fun to play your own music).

Pretty cool little piece. I found the ending a little weak though. Starting from the second half of 16 the 2nd flute is just moving up and down the chromatic scale in stepwise motion, which is a little boring compared to the rest of the stuff in here (the octave displacement stuff really helps make the scale sound more interesting. Also flute 2's rhythm for these last two bars is same, which is the only time something like that happens in the piece (except for 10 and 11, which I'm not that into either). It's also strange when it goes to the two eighth note to end, just feels kinda awkward. The rest at the beginning of 12 is also kinda awkward, and I think it would be better just to maintain 16ths throughout (that would be more Bach-like anyway).

Also for a really chromatic piece like this, you might want to put accidentals on every note (as the 2nd Viennese school did), it'll make it a bit easier to read. I can understand the lack of articulation, if you're trying to imitate a baroque notation style, but if you're going to do that you shouldn't include a tempo either, and you should make a note that the players can decide the articulation as if it were a baroque piece.

Despite all these criticisms, I did like your piece, even though it may not seem that way from this post.

Wow, very nice. I agree with last life, the ending was a little weak. I like your use of imitation between the two parts - very nice touch. I hope you post what your teacher said.. would be interesting to see his/her opinion.

I LOOOVE this. So cool! The harmonies are perfect, seems playable, and I think, actually, it's a perfect example of a duet. No one part dominates the other.

Only thing is, it just isn't long enough. It seems like a very random, not expected ending. I really wish you could have ended it with something like... maybe, continued the 16th notes, then end it with a short, soft c spead between 4 octaves on the two instruments.

Like it though! Please keep posting your music! :D

Heklaphone

Cool harmonic language here. I'm curious to know what your teacher thought of this.

Love the canonic counterpoint. Aside from my agreement with Gixander that you might have taken the 2nd Flute part above the 1st here and there, my only real criticism is that you've taken the 2nd Flute below its range at Meas. 17; while some players can figure out a way to play that B, the lowest note the flute can play conventionally is middle-C.

Were this more than a composition exercise, I'd agree with Heklaphone45 that it's a bit too short. Even so, nicely done!

Cool harmonic language here. I'm curious to know what your teacher thought of this.

Love the canonic counterpoint. Aside from my agreement with Gixander that you might have taken the 2nd Flute part above the 1st here and there, my only real criticism is that you've taken the 2nd Flute below its range at Meas. 17; while some players can figure out a way to play that B, the lowest note the flute can play conventionally is middle-C.

Were this more than a composition exercise, I'd agree with Heklaphone45 that it's a bit too short. Even so, nicely done!

To expand on this with what I've seen in a few pieces is the optional note. If you throw a low B at a performer, you have to be certain they have the correct foot. Now, without using a foot I could easily use my open-hole and roll the C down, but it would be a sharp B (not be sharp...it'd be a B, just sharp enough it would be easily noticed). What you should do is offer a different note that works, or rather, make the B the alternate note. What I mean is have the B be a smaller size, and with parentheticals around it. This will inform most performers that you understand not everyone has a foot extension, and that only if you have it should you hit that B.

Thank you all for the comments!

As for the instrumentation; I wrote this for two flautists in mind, my girlfriend and her classmate (who has a B extension). Both are studying flute at a higher level and I asked if it would be too difficult but they assured me that they could play it, although it will be a challenge.

And regarding the ending, I think this might be a matter of taste. I listened to it again and concluded that I like the way that the second flute kind of dies out at the end. That said I do agree there are a few places with "boring" passages where it feels like the second flute plays unrelated material. I actually felt this when I was finished writing it but the limited time aspect got in the way of working on it more. I should try and fix this when I have the time.

You guys also wanted to know what my teacher thought. I am not sure where I put my copy of the score with his comments (he always printed a copy of the score before the lesson and had his comments all over it) but as I remember it he didn't have much criticism about it. He thought I had done a good job rhythmically, never letting the "drive" disappear.

And yeah it's a bit short! But I am planning to remedy this with two additional short movements also in a Baroque-atonal style.

Thanks again for the feedback! I'll be back soon with some more interesting stuff.