Page:The story of the flute (IA storyofflute1914fitz).djvu/131

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Composers for Flute

is the extremely interesting pianoforte accompaniments; they give full opportunity to the flautist and to the pianist alike for the display of executive skill. The Adagio movements are specially beautiful. These admirably constructed and brilliant works (written chiefly, it is said, at the desire of an enthusiastic amateur flautist) display the most thorough technical knowledge of the instrument.

Kuhlau was a voluminous composer, and over two hundred of his works are still in existence. They are a complete refutation of the assertion so frequentlyErroneous
idea that
there is
no good
music for
the flute
made, that there is no really good music written for the flute. This statement merely displays the ignorance of those who make it. We have already seen that several of the greatest composers have written for the instrument; and Kummer, Furstenau, Gabrielsky, Walckiers, following in the footsteps of Kuhlau, have left behind them a mass of original flute compositions, much of which is of a high order of merit, whilst in more recent times quite a number of works, worthy to be ranked as "classical," have appeared.[1]

The origin of this idea that flute music is all trifling rubbish is not far to seek; not only was the flute in its earlier stages a very imperfect instrument, but the

107

  1. Such as Reinecke's Undine (op. 167), Concerto, and Ballade; H. Hoffmann's Concertstuck Macfarren's Concerto and Sonata, Buchner's eight concertos, Prout's sonata (op. 17), Mde. Chaminade's Concertino, Vinning's Andante and Tarentelle, and the Suites of Godard, Widor, and E. German.