By: Morgan Topol

I’ve played countless pieces on the flute since I began taking lessons in the fourth grade, but there’s one music book that I’d go back to time and time again once I got to high school: Flute Music by French Composers. Those of us who are familiar with it often call it “The French Book.”

The Paris Conservatory, established in 1795, is the oldest music school in the world that is still in existence. If you read my blog about Debussy, the name may sound familiar, because he studied there. In 1797, the Paris Conservatory began hosting its annual concours (“contests”). Up until 2011, students attending the school would play a piece of music written solely for the concours and compete for the right to graduate.

The many works commissioned for the wind instrument concours have greatly expanded the contemporary repertoire for each instrument. “The French Book” contains pieces that were all, at some point, chosen by the Paris Conservatory for the competing flute students. Each piece is incredibly challenging, and they all require performers to demonstrate creative imagination, musicianship, technical ability, beauty of tone, and endurance, among other skills.

These are my three favorite pieces I’ve learned from “The French Book.” Each piece starts with a slow section, then ends with a faster, more technically involved section. The universal language of classical music is Italian, so although these pieces are written by French composers, you’ll see plenty of Italian words used throughout this blog post.

Andante et Scherzo by Louis Ganne

Andante means “moderately slow,” while Scherzo translates to “to jest” or “to joke,” meaning the latter movement has a much more lively, playful quality to it. I’ll admit, the Andante movement isn’t my favorite, as it gets a little repetitive and isn’t particularly memorable. However, I LOVE the Scherzo movement, which begins at measure 71. It’s arguably the most technically challenging out of all the faster sections on this list, especially due to the amount of double tonguing required when this faster movement is played at the correct tempo. Speaking of tempo, it’s also difficult to keep time with this piece, especially at measure 111 and toward the very end. As someone who didn’t necessarily have to learn how to double tongue until learning Andante et Scherzo, I’m glad this piece gave me the opportunity to push myself out of my comfort zone and master a new skill.

• Years Used for the Concours: 1901, 1905, 1939
• Why I Learned it: Governor’s School auditions at the county level, junior year

Concertino by Cécile Chaminade

Concertino by Chaminade is, arguably, the most well-known piece written for flute and piano. Even before I had to learn it, I knew I’d learn it eventually. It was also written by a woman, which is especially significant given the fact that composition has always been a male-dominated field. The slower section is GORGEOUS – it still manages to be “constantly stuck in your head” catchy despite the fact that the tempo is only moderato, or “moderate.” There’s also a certain sweetness to this section, indicated by the expression marking “dolce” at the beginning of the piece. The slower section is also more challenging relative to Andante et Scherzo, as it contains both 16th and 32nd note runs. The faster section, which isn’t defined by a separate movement but rather an increase in tempo at measure 73, is also very fun to play. Although it doesn’t require double tonguing the way Andante et Scherzo does, the piece is still filled with tons of slurred runs, which can be just as hard to keep in time. The end is also quite difficult and requires the flutist to go back and forth between the highest and lowest registers of the instrument, which is a testament to how much endurance Concertino requires.

• Year Used for the Concours: 1902
• Why I Learned it: NC All-State Honors Band auditions, junior year

Cantabile et Presto by Georges Enesco

Cantabile, which is the slower movement of this piece, translates to “songlike.” That’s what I like most about Cantabile et Presto as a whole – the slower section isn’t too difficult on paper, but it’s up to the flutist to make this section truly sing. There’s a lot of freedom to play with time in this movement, which means there’s more room for interpretation within it relative to all the pieces I’ve written about so far. In this way, the flutist can make Cantabile et Presto their own in terms of creative imagination and musicianship, at least until the Presto movement kicks in at measure 48. At this point, the piece becomes far more technical and metronomic. The Presto movement, like Andante et Scherzo, requires some double tonguing when played at tempo, but not nearly to the same extent. However, in terms of articulation, this piece is the most challenging and unique of the three, particularly in the runs beginning at measures 98, 113, and 198. Like Concertino, the Presto movement also requires the flutist to frequently and quickly go back and forth between various registers of the instrument, making it particularly difficult from a technical standpoint.

• Years Used for the Concours: 1904, 1921, 1940
• Why I Learned it: All-District Band auditions, senior year

Honorable Mention: Although I didn’t learn Nocturne et Allegro Scherzando by Phillippe Gaubert for any audition in particular, I still wanted to include it in this blog, because it’s also from “The French Book” and I think it’s a really beautiful piece.