Music for Prague 1968 is scored for piccolo (a divisi part, so two players must be used) and flutes 1 and 2.  The 23-minute long work is written in four movements: I. Introduction and Fanfare, II Aria, III Interlude (scored only for percussion), and IV. Toccata and Chorale.
    On August 20, 1968, troops from the Soviet Union and its allies invaded Czechoslovakia. Husa, who was living in America at the time, was deeply moved by the sad news as he listened on his radio. He knew the invasion would have an immediate impact on family members still living in Prague.  He began sketches for the piece and completed it in seven weeks. 
    There is great use of symbolism in the work. The lengthy piccolo bird call solo in the opening is the symbol of liberty, something that the City of Prague has seen only for moments during it’s thousand years of existence.  Husa provides the following program notes:
    Three main ideas bind the composition together. The first and most important is an old Hussite war song from the 11th century, “Ye Warriors of God and His Law,” a symbol of resistance and hope for hundreds of years, whenever fate lay heavy on the Czech nation. It has been utilized also by many Czech composers, including Smetana in My Country. The beginning of this religious song is announced very softly in the first movement by the timpani and concludes in the strong unison (“Chorale”). The song is never used in its entirety.
    The second idea is the sound of bells throughout: Prague, named also the “City of Hundreds of Towers,” has used its magnificently sounding church bells throughout history as calls of distress as well as of victory.
    The last idea is a motif of three chords first appearing very softly under the piccolo solo at the beginning of the piece, in flutes, clarinets and horns. Later it reappears at extremely strong dynamic levels, for example, in the middle of the Aria.

    The piece opens with a bar of timpani solo, and then the piccolo solo begins. Because there is chordal accompaniment under this opening solo, little rhythmic freedom can be taken. The long sustained pitches must be held all the way through. Be sure to budget the airstream carefully for the first long G, which is 7  1/2 beats long. You can remove the vibrato towards the end of the dimuendo. 

                                                        
   Connect the ideas in measures four and five over the eighth rest at the end of measure four, as this idea is all one phrase. The group of five notes in the fifth measure can move ahead with a bit more energy.
    Keep true to the legato markings on the triplet in measure six and again, phrase all the way through toFrom this point in the solo, build the energy so that the phrase peaks at the first trill key on the D# to keep the pitch up. Alternately, you can finger this note all the way thruough without the first finger of the left hand (T234 1234).

        From this point in the solo, build the energy so that the phrase peaks at the sforzando in measure 11. It is important to observe all of the marked breaths throughout the solo.
        The first movement also closes with a short piccolo solo:

    I use the fingering 23 234 for the long C# at the end of the work for added control and pitch stability.
    This work is a classic that symbolizes the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Husa conducted the Czechoslavakian premiere of Music for Prague 1968 on February 13, 1990 in Prague’s Smetana Hall. The performance aired nationwide on radio and television. This marked the composer’s return to Prague’s concert life after more than 40 years in exile and is a testament to the importance of this work in Husa’s life.

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Step 3: Play Music You Love
    Play a favorite piece that inspires you. I enjoy music by Bach, Debussy, Faure, Schubert, Reinecke, and Telemann, and I use it to stay in shape, work on tone, and encourage embouchure flexibility. Remember to listen musically as you play. We tend to play music better when we connect with it on an emotional level.
    One of my adult students is recovering from Bell’s palsy. He performs with several local groups but still has less than optimal lip mobility. It seems to help him for me to play a phrase and have him imitate what I have just played. By working in this way his ear focuses on the desired result, and his lips seem to be more responsive.

Step 4: Tone Your Muscles
    Most people don’t realize that playing the flute is an athletic activity, particularly when they are in great physical shape to start with. However, over the past two decades I’ve noticed that teenage students are becoming less and less physically fit. Schools have cut back on daily physical education, and an increasing number of young flute students have sound problems due to flabby abdominal muscles.
    Lack of abdominal support is most obvious in older singers, but it affects all musicians who use air to support the sound. Good muscle tone in the abdominals is essential for the control of pitch, tone color, projection, and the speed and width of vibrato. Having become aware of this problem, singing teachers have developed exercises that keep these muscles taut and firm. If you can’t find a flute teacher near you, a voice teacher might be a good alternative. It is also helpful to add floor exercises that work on the abdominals as part of your daily exercise routine.
    The body is primarily comprised of equal yet opposing muscles. This means that, in order to move a muscle, an opposite muscle must relax. When we demand movement from our bodies, we tend to focus on the muscle we wish to move. However, there is a reciprocal action that is necessary to allow that movement to take place.
    Because of this phenomenon, a hand, shoulder, or facial massage will sometimes do more to improve playing than several hours of practicing. I highly recommend stretching and relaxation exercises, such as yoga, working with a personal trainer, or using a form of physical therapy to help relax muscles that have become too tense.

Step 5: Holistic Resources
    Nutritional support, avoiding allergens, and, possibly a good physical therapist, can all do wonders to alleviate some symptoms of aging. Over the last 40-50 years there have been tremendous strides in the fields of physical therapy, health practices, learning technologies, etc. The options for support with general health, physical movement, and stress reduction are vast and include such techniques as osteopathy, craniofacial and craniosacral therapy, Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique, Rolfing, Aston Patterning, Body Talk, Eurythme, homeopathy, acu-puncture, and massage.
    For performance anxiety, vision problems, and learning problems, there are options such as One Brain Integration, Neurolinguistic Program­ming, EMDR, and biofeedback. These holistic approaches may have significant potential in helping aging flutists function better.
    Remember that you are not alone, there are tricks and aids to work through many age-related issues. It is possible to continue to grow musically at any age, and doing so is beneficial for your body and mind. The joy of making music can be healing and personally satisfying. Recent scientific evidence shows that musical activity can actually increase the number of synapses in your brain! Playing the flute may slow the aging process, and be well worth the effort.      

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Concert Flutes and Piccolos
    These are the smallest and most portable of the flute family, easily fitting into a backpack or a variety of gig bags that fit in the space under the airline seat in front of you or in the overhead compartment. Flute and piccolo cases, as well as alto flute cases, also easily fit into luggage within the size restrictions for carry-ons. These options allow you to carry your instruments safely, minimize the number of carry-on bags, and reduce the possibility of leaving an instrument behind when exiting the plane. 
Many styles and sizes of gig bags are available to safely carry a flute and piccolo, and some are large enough to hold an alto flute as well. Gig bags have handles and may also have a shoulder strap and/or backpack straps. There is generally room for music, accessories, and sometimes a folding music stand. Many gig bags have a zipper closure, although some use snaps, buckles, or velcro to keep instruments secure.

Cases for Multiple Instruments
    Double cases are widely available for carrying a flute and a piccolo. These cases are the same length and depth as a regular flute case, but are slightly wider.  The most common type is the French style case, made of wood and covered with leather. 

    Fitted case covers are widely available in standard sizes for either C-foot or B-foot cases. They have carrying handles and/or shoulder straps and are made by manufacturers such as Altieri and Cavallero.
    If you travel regularly with two or more flutes, piccolos, and multiple headjoints, you might consider investing in a single case configured to hold all the instruments securely.  French-style cases of various sizes can be custom ordered from Northwind Cases, and custom case covers can be ordered from Altieri.
    Relatively new to the market is a uniquely designed leather covered tubular case.  Made by Wiseman Cases and available in several sizes, the interior of these cases provides ample padding and protection for instruments, and may be custom configured for any combination of instruments and or headjoints.
    Another sturdy tubular case designed to hold a flute and piccolo is made by Case-Closed. Each of the individual sections of a flute and assembled piccolo are suspended separately from custom length rods covered with soft durable material to avoid scratches. The piccolo is seat-belted in place on its peg with a velcro strap securing the top of headjoint against any movement.  The interior of the case is well-padded and covered with the same material. 

Solutions for Alto and Bass Flutes
    There are a variety of ways to minimize the number of carry-on bags, meet airline size restrictions, and keep your instruments secure. If the case cover on your bass flute case has a zippered storage area along the length of the case, there is probably room to securely carry an alto flute or a concert flute case. Because storage pockets are usually not padded, take care not to bump the case. While an alto flute generally fits in a standard rolling carry-on suitcase, a bass flute is too long and will need to be carried separately.
    A unique solution to carrying a bass, alto, concert flute, and piccolo has been designed by Wiseman Cases.  The Quad Case is seven inches in diameter and carries all four instruments within a well padded case that is the same volume as a standard bass flute case. This leather covered case, made of aircraft plywood and aluminum, can be carried as a backpack or with a handle. It fits easily into overhead compartments on aircraft.
 
Cases for Contrabass Flutes
    The increased popularity of contrabass flutes has inspired several case designs that make these large instruments much more portable for travel.  We have come a long way from footlocker-size cases that had to be checked as luggage in the aircraft hold, causing anxious contrabass owners to nervously await the arrival of their precious instruments at baggage claim.
    Altieri Instrument Bags has designed a soft-sided padded contrabass gig bag. When unzipped, this bag opens flat and holds each piece of the contrabass in a separate tubular compartment made of foam and fabric.  The case has both a shoulder strap and backpack straps.
    With the assistance of contrabass flute specialist Paige Long, Northwind Cases designed two custom French style cases to house all the pieces of a contrabass flute. Both of the designs meet size restrictions for carry-on luggage. These two cases can be carried easily onto a plane on a folding luggage cart.  
    Wiseman Cases has designed an oval tubular case slightly wider than their Quad Case that securely houses an entire contrabass flute. Using the same construction materials as their other cases, this case can be comfortably carried using the adjustable backpack straps. The case fits easily into overhead luggage bins, including the smaller compartments on commuter aircraft.

How to Choose the Right Bag
    Think about how often and how far you will travel with your instruments. Airline travel usually requires walking long distances from airport security to the departure gate. Likewise, playing gigs in some venues may involve parking several blocks away from the concert hall. Weight is a consideration and many flutists prefer a shoulder strap, backpack, or luggage cart as opposed to carrying the weight in their hands.
    My personal preference is to have backpack straps on a gig bag. This balances the weight of the bag on both shoulders rather than placing all the weight on one. It also lets me avoid the weight of carrying the bag by the handles. A backpack also leaves my hands free to carry a music stand when going to a gig, or to pull a rolling suitcase when traveling. In the past, when traveling with a bass flute with a shoulder strap, I have had challenges with it slipping off my shoulder while walking down airport concourses.   
    I know many people who use a rolling suitcase to transport their instruments or strap cases of larger instruments to a rolling luggage cart.  Ergonomically, this is easier on the body, but if some of the terrain you have to travel across is bumpy or uneven, the jostling could cause the instruments to go out of adjustment.
    With a myriad of choices to help protect and transport your precious instruments, you should be able to find an option that fits your needs.

Surviving Airport Security

    Before going through airport security, make sure that you have removed any items that may not be allowed on the aircraft, such as screwdrivers and metal cleaning rods. Be prepared to open your case, if asked. In 15 years of airline travel with various sized flutes, I have only been asked to open my case on two or three occasions. 
    If you see the examiner looking quizzically at the monitor when your instrument is on the conveyor belt, just tell them that there is a flute or a musical instrument (or a wire music stand) in your bag. Most of the time that information is sufficient to answer the examiner’s concerns, and there will be no further delay. If the examiner asks to see inside the case, explain that the instrument is fragile and expensive. Ask politely whether you can open the case for them.
    In 2008 the International Flute Orchestra traveled to Chile for a concert tour with four contrabass flutes as carry-on luggage. You can imagine the security inspector’s reaction as we tried to explain the odd shapes appearing on the x-ray monitor. Fortunately, one of the inspectors was a flute player who was satisfied with our explanations and waved us through.

Custom Cases:
Northwind Cases ()
Wiseman Cases ()
Case-Closed, Inc. ()

Custom Case Covers & Gig Bags:
Altieri Instrument Bags ()
Cavallero Case Covers ()

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Project 1: Middle School Flutists
Giuseppe Gariboldi: Thirty Easy and Progressive Studies for Flute

     Giuseppe Gariboldi (1833-1905) was an Italian born and trained flutist, who spent most of his adult life in Paris as a soloist and composer. Besides writing a large number of flute compositions, he also composed three operas and many songs. 
     This set of 30 etudes is appropriate for younger flutists. If your studio or public school does not have 30 students to perform the complete set, assign each student two or more contrasting etudes to perform. Here are some suggestions to notate in the program: (tempo, key, specific technique)

1. Largo non troppo, C major; melodic contour and accents
2. Moderato, G major; sigh figures and staccatos
3. Andante mosso, C major; melodic contour and fermatas
4. Andantino, G major; slow arpeggios, phrase lifts, strong-weak
5. Allegretto non troppo, F major; sigh figures and contrasting ideas
6. Andante quasi largo, D major; sigh figures, Rocket themes, articulation marks, and trills
7. Allegretto grazioso, F major; 3/8 in one beat to a bar, dynamic contrasts
8. Andantino piu tosto mosso, D major; dynamic contrast, sigh figures
9. Allegro moderato, B-flat major;  balanced hands, staccatos
10. Andantino quasi allegretto, C major; ascending & descending scales and arpeggios, sigh figures
11. Allegretto mosso, G major; cross articulation
12. Allegro risoluto, D major; triads, dotted rhythms, balanced hands, staccatos
13. Largo non troppo, B-flat major; falling intervals, compound time, dynamic contrast
14. Andante cantabile, A major; trills with resolution, dotted rhythms
15. Andantino, E-flat major; tenuto, articulation patterns
16. Allegro, C major; contour, sigh figures, dotted rhythms
17.Allegretto, A minor; ties, scales, forward flow or phrasing to the strong beat
18. Allegro moderato, G major; duples and triplets
19. Allegro non troppo, E minor; articulation patterns, five-note runs, balance of the hand
20. Allegretto, F major; pick-up, compound time, flowing scales
21. Allegro moderato, D minor; character scherzando, staccatos, dynamic contrast
22. Allegro, D Major; slur two, tongue two, double tonguing
23. Allegretto elegante, B minor; triplets, Grand Pause
24. Allegretto, B-flat major; compound time, balanced hands, fermato, Grand Pause
25. Allegro mosso, G minor; subdivisions of twos, fours, and sixes, fermato, Grand Pause
26.Allegro molto, A major; syncopation, staccatos
27. Allegro vivace, F-sharp minor; heavy accents, trills with terminations, articulation patterns
28. Allegretto brillante, E-flat major; double tonguing, staccatos
29. Andante, C minor; accents, scales, trills with termination, ritard
30. Allegro energico, E major; double tonguing, arpeggios, articulation patterns

     Because each etude is only a minute or two long, there would be time for each flutist to explain to the audience the performance techniques used in the etude they are presenting. Not only would this give the student experience speaking in front of an audience, but the program would become a music appreciation lesson of sorts for parents.
     So that the program flows smoothly,  students could sit on the stage or in the front row of the audience. When one student finishes, the next student begins. Having all the students on stage or in the audience, gives them the opportunity to hear each other perform. This allows them to experience the performance with their eyes as well as their ears.

Project 2: High School Flutists
Giuseppe Gariboldi: Twenty Studies, Op. 132

     This exercise book is often one of the first that flute students learn. For most flutists these studies rank in the all-time favorite etudes to play. One of my students refers to them as being “flutey.” Once again, if you do not have 20 students to perform this opus, assign two or more etudes to each student. Choose either a major/minor pairing or etudes with contrasting tempos.

Below are some ideas to put in the program:

1. Moderato e tranquillo, C major;  lower neighboring tones,  articulation patterns
2. Andantino, A minor; slow trills with resolutions, articulation patterns, triplets
3. Allegretto, G major; compound time, hemiola, running scales
4. Andante, E minor; mezza voce, double tonguing
5. Moderato, C major; ties, melodic contour, compound melody
6. Allegro non troppo, G major; four-note scales, cross articulation, side skips, triplets
7. Andante mosso, A minor; triplets with hooked articulations, forward flow by six notes
8. Allegretto, D major; arpeggios, contrasting sections, long scales
9. Allegro brillante, B-flat major; 3/8 in 1, short notes leading to long notes
10. Largo cantabile, A major; lyric melody, gruppetto turns
11. Allegro, D minor; contrasting sections, nimble fingers
12. Allegretto, E-flat major; compound time, chromaticism, acciaccatura
13. Allegro moderato, B minor; trills with terminations, triplets, sigh figures, acciaccatura
14. Molto vivace, E major; five-note scales, chromaticism, short notes leading to long notes
15. Allegretto, G minor; long, legato melodic minor scale, sigh figures, dynamic designs
16. Andante, A major; Cantabile style, compound time, accents, compound melody
17. Allegro non troppo, F-sharp minor;  trills, sigh figures, acciaccatura
18. Allegro brillante, F major; triplets, neighboring tones, contrasting sections
19. Andante, C minor; long phrases, compound melody
20. Andante mosso, A-flat major; compound melody, articulation patterns

     Follow the same suggestions as above for a flowing performance. This concert would also work well in a band room or choir room with the chairs for the audience arranged in a circle.

Project 2: College Flutists and Professional Flute Choirs
Georg Philipp:Telemann: Twelve Fantasies for Flute

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681 – 1767) was one of the most famous German composers of the early 1700s. He composed over 3,000 works of all kinds, including many well-known flute works. The Twelve Fantasies were published in Hamburg in 1732, and the engraving may have actually been done by him.
Because each of the Fantasies features a different compositional technique (preluding, fugal writing, arioso movements, a French Overture, and dance movements), the set provides the variety needed to make this an interesting concert. The key order is: A, a, b, B flat, C, d, D, e, E, f#, G, g. Performance time is approximately 45 minutes.  For good concert flow, place the flutists around the room, like the positions of the numbers on a clock. To round out the hour-long concert, you could conclude with a performance of the Davis  arrangement of J. S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 for flute choir by all the students. It is scored for nine players, C flutes on parts 1 – 6, two altos, and bass. Add the extra three players to parts 3, 6, and bass for better balance.

Project 3: College and Professional Flute Choirs
Karg-Elert: 30 Caprices, Op. 107

     Sigfrid Karg-Elert ( 1879 – 1933), a student of Carl Reinecke, was a composer, theorist, and organist. This set of caprices was composed between 1915 and 1918 as a gift for his friend Carl Bartuzat, principal flute of the Leipzig Theater and Gewandhaus Orchestra.
     Karg-Elert’s mission was to write a set of caprices that would connect the existing educational literature with the more difficult orchestral flute parts in contemporary literature. The Caprices begin in the compositional style of Bach, Handel, and Mozart and progress through many of the most well-known 20th-century composers of the time, including Strauss, Mahler, Bruckner, Scriabin, and Stravinsky. Karg-Elert’s work often features the use of ground bass. These caprices are all based on the four-note ground that is found at the beginning of Caprice No. 30 “Chaconne.”
     Depending on the number of flutists taking part in the project, each will probably need to play several caprices. It would be interesting to the audience for each performer to indicate where the ground occurs in his caprice and which composer’s style or composition Karg-Elert is imitating. A back projection on the wall of the manuscript of each caprice might provide added interest to the audience. The ground could be highlighted in red. It is possible to perform these caprices in about one hour.
     There are many other topics that would be appropriate. For a university flute studio, the upper classmen might add a harpsichord and continuo to perform the entire cycle of Bach sonatas, while the freshmen and sophomores could perform their own concert of the 12 Handel sonatas. The three books of Charles Koechlin’s Les Chants de Nectaire would also provide an enchanting experience. Or, consider presenting etudes by Casterede, Paganini, or Jean-Jean. The list goes on and on.
 At the end of a project like this, the students in your studio will have bonded, and the playing of etudes, fantaisies, caprices, or sonatas will no longer be viewed as an assignment but rather as a fun, enlightening, and rewarding process.

Music Sources:
Gariboldi: 30 Easy and Progressive Etudes – publishers include Alphonse Leduc, Little Piper, Kalmus, Editio Musica Budapest, Warner Brothers, Alfred, Galaxy, and Hal Leonard on CD-ROM.

Gariboldi, Twenty Studies, Op. 132  – publishers include      Billaudot, Schott, International Music Company, Kalmus, C.F. Peters, Alphone Leduc, and Hal Leonard on CD-ROM.

Telemann: 12 Fantasies, publishers include Little Piper, Amadeus, Donemus, Kevin Mayhew, Southern, Megido, International, Musica Rara, Schirmer, Barenreiter, Billaudot, and Hal Leonard on CD-ROM. (The Amadeus Edition includes a facsimile of Telemann’s original engraving.)

Karg-Elert: 30 Caprices, Op. 107  – publishers include International, Cundy-Bettoney, Masters Music, in The Modern Flutist, Carl Fischer, and Hal Leonard on CD-ROM. (The Carl Fischer edition includes the indispensable 10-page “The Logical Development of Modern Figuration”).

Flute Methods, Studies and Ensembles, CD Sheet Music is a useful CD-ROM collection available from Hal Leonard that includes music by Altès, J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Koechlin, Köhler, Kuhlau, Di Lasso, Loeillet, Mozart, Quantz, Stamitz, and others as well as biographical information.

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Roger Goeb (1914-1997)   
    Roger Goeb was born in Cherokee, Iowa in 1914. He studied piano as a child and also learned to play trumpet, French horn, viola, violin, and other woodwind instruments. After high school he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture at the University of Wisconsin in 1936. He spent the next two years playing in jazz bands before enrolling in the École Normale de Musique in Paris, where he studied with Nadia Boulanger.
    Upon returning to the United States in 1939 he began working privately with Otto Luening, who himself composed an extensive number of flute works. He took some graduate-level courses at New York University and eventually earned a Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute in 1942. His doctorate was done at Iowa State University in Ames. He subsequently taught at Bard College, The Juilliard School, Stanford, Columbia, and the Bennington Composers Conference in Vermont.
    Goeb composed prolifically for orchestra and chamber combinations, and from the late 1940s through the early 1960s his works were performed frequently. Along with five symphonies, he wrote violin and piano concertos, the American Dances for string orchestra, a quintet for trombone and strings, and four string quartets. He also produced four woodwind quintets, piano and cello quintets, and six more orchestra pieces in the 1980s: Divertimento, Memorial, Caprice, Fantasia, Essay, and Gambol.
    He is important not only for his musical contributions, but also for the work he did with the American Composers Alliance (ACA), a group that supports the performance, broadcast, and recording of contemporary American works. He served as their executive secretary for many years. In 1952 he also established the Composers Facsimile Edition, later known as the American Composers Edition, that aimed to make copies of its members’ works available between the times their works were completed and published.
    In 1964 he gave up composing for more than a decade to tend to his wife and son, both of whom had multiple schlerosis. After their deaths he returned to composition until suffering a stroke in 1986. Goeb died on January 3, 1997.

Two Divertimenti
    The Two Divertimenti was written in 1950 and embodies his compositional style with clear structure, economical use of musical materials, novel timbres, interesting rhythms, and inherent lyricism. The title refers to the divertimento form – a traditionally light musical work meant to please the ear and provide recreation rather than express complicated shades of emotion. Though this definition implies a simple work, Two Divertimenti is anything but. In the liner notes of the 1988 recording, A Tribute to Otto Luening, which includes the duet, Goeb described the work:
     
“The Two Divertimenti concentrate on musical values a bit more than the title and the choice of instruments might suggest. The lightness and fluency one expects from two flutes is evident, but at the same time there is a complex interplay between the instruments. Occasionally there are combinations that sound like a single instrument doing remarkable things, and sometimes there seem to be more [than] two instruments performing. These orchestrational notions and certain melodic and harmonic ideas challenge the expertise of the performers and make virtuosic demands on them.”



Movement I
    In 2/4 with a tempo indication of quarter note = 72, the movement has a natural, walking feel. The most notable aspect of it, and of the work as a whole, is the buoyant off-beat rhythms that propel the light and open musical lines forward again and again. The openness results from the near constant use of perfect fourths and fifths. The movement’s tonality also relates to these perfect intervals. Instead of traditional harmonies and chord progressions, there are tonal centers of two important pitches at a time. The movement begins with pitch centers D and A and then moves through D flat and A flat, E and A, D and G, B and F, and E and A. 
    The major challenge here is performing extremely clear and precise articulations so that the rhythmic interplay is clearly audible. The voices rarely line up, and when they do, it is often to highlight musical climaxes. Each flutist must count as if his or her life depended on it, for the life of this piece certainly does.
Blending is another performance challenge. Measure 26 highlights the importance of blend with its sudden change in texture. A rhythmic figure is traded back and forth. When both flutists match tone colors, note lengths, intonation, and vibrato, it can be a mesmerizing experience for the audience.

This musical effect lasts for two measures and the composite rhythm, or the rhythm that the audience perceives, is:

    After brilliant sextuplets of parallel fourths, the trading-off figure is repeated at a much louder dynamic level, and it is also condensed by omitting the eighth note, which makes the composite rhythm sound faster. This kind of passage returns later in the movement in measure 108 as well.
     A second notable section of the first movement begins in measure 50, where a series of trilled motives begin. Strive to give the impression that there is a constant blanket of trills through which little interjections poke. These trills begin at a perfect fourth, with A flat in the second flute and E flat in the first.

    Later in measure 67, the trill cushion expands to a perfect fifth, with A in second flute and E in first. The intensity, speed, and tone colors of the trills should match. It is important to note that every trill should move at the whole step. There is a probable misprint in measure 67, where the second flute switches to the new trill: the second flute trill should be from A to B – not A to Bb as indicated in the score.
    The interjection notes are all marked with either a tenuto line or a staccato to show that Goeb clearly wants them to stick out of the trill texture. The non-trill notes of both flutists connect to make a melody, an effect that can create the illusion of three flutes playing instead of two. The example below shows both flute parts and the imagined melody of the third flute, implied by the interjections.

Movement II
    The second movement is in 38 at dotted quarter = 72, not quarter =72 as indicated in the score. The quarter-note pulse of the first movement becomes the pulse for an entire measure in the second movement, an element that adds continuity. The second movement feels faster because the new beat is divided into three eighths instead of two.
    The pentatonic tonalities that Goeb uses provide a pleasant and folksy feel throughout this movement, which begins in A major pentatonic and continues to fluctuate between this and Bb major pentatonic, traveling through the pitch centers of E , G, and C.
     Many of the challenges mentioned in the first movement are found in the second as well. For example, the rhythmic gesture in the first measure returns often, and with each return it must be executed exactly the same way.
    Grace notes are found throughout the movement and both flutists must match the way they play them. In general it will help to play relatively quick and chirpy grace notes so that they do not interrupt the pulse. This example illustrates a passage thick with grace notes.

    Like the first movement, this one has some interesting composite rhythms, such as this one from measure 123. Here the parts begin to alternate repeated quarter notes causing the listener to hear an articulation on each eighth note pulse. The score and the composite rhythm that the audience should perceive are shown below.

General Practice Tips
    Two Divertimenti overflows with examples of interesting textures. Studying the score to know when these moments occur and exactly what makes them special is an important step in learning the duet
    Preparing your own part is not enough to perform this piece well; you should learn the other part as well. By going through the extra effort to learn both parts, the complicated rhythmic exchanges will make more sense to you and the audience. One of the best ways to practice Divertimenti is to switch parts in rehearsals.
Another way to practice the duet is for both flutists to play the first part simultaneously, with an ear to blending and matching. Then do the same with the second part. Lastly, trade parts: the first flute playing the second part and the second flute playing the first part. When you finally return to your original part, it will seem much easier.
    To practice blending, isolate a musical passage and play a game of call and response. For example, the first flute could play the opening measure of the second movement, after which the second flute could immediately repeat that same passage trying to mimic exactly. These roles can easily be switched, for example using measure 25 of the second movement, where the second flute states a motive which the first flute then imitates.
    In order to breathe life into this duet and make Goeb’s use of familiar tonalities sound fresh and novel, pay careful attention to intonation, articulations, and dynamics. Intonation is essential for the perfect fourths and fifths which permeate the work. Passages of parallel 16th notes, like those found in measure 6 of the first movement and measure 55 of the second movement, should be practiced very slowly to be sure that each interval maintains its open and perfect quality.
    Slow practice will also provide the opportunity to focus on accurate articulations. Goeb marked his constantly changing articulation patterns carefully and purposefully, making them an integral part of the composition. It is helpful to mark moments in the score where both flutes articulate together or where they are homorhythmic. Adhering to dynamic markings will help achieve the “lightness and fluency” to which Goeb refers. His dynamic markings are relatively sparse; most are either piano or forte, with occasional moments of pianissimo and fortissimo.  
    Flute players are lucky to have a wealth of duets, and Two Divertimenti is a special contribution to this rich repertoire and well worth considering if you are searching for a new flute duet to perform or even just to noodle through with a friend.

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Know the music
    It seems obvious, but if you can’t play a piece cleanly in the comfort of your own home, the chances are pretty good that there won’t be a miraculous occurrence that will allow you to suddenly sail through the difficult passages on stage. Practicing scales, etudes, and tone exercises in addition to learning pieces gives you a good base level of skills.
    This is similar to what a professional athlete does. For instance, a champion figure skater will spend hours in ballet classes, work with movement coaches, and do cardio and weight training, in addition to the time they spend on the ice. They also spend many hours reviewing video footage of past competitions and analyzing what they did right and what went wrong.
    It is also extremely important to know your music more thoroughly than just being able to read it. Flutists are often quick, clever readers: we can zip through fast technical passages with the best of them. Unfortunately, this often comes at the expense of really learning the music as thoroughly as we should in order to do the piece justice.

    •    Visual – Have a picture of the sheet music in your mind.

    •    Aural – Be able to play it by ear

    •    Kinesthetic – The fingerings are in muscle memory.

    •    Theory/structure – What are the main themes, and where are they throughout the piece? What are the harmonic relationships throughout the piece? What key is it in? Does it change keys? What scales and arpeggios are used at specific points? How does your part relate with the piano or orchestra part? Do you know what the other parts are doing at all times?

    •    Solfege – Be able to sing what you play.

    Most musicians who perform by memory use a synthesis of these. I often trust my kinesthetic sense and let the music take care of itself. However, if there is a tricky technical passage coming up, I briefly focus on that technical element so that I don’t lose control. At the same time I try not to lose the feeling of spontaneity. I also have a visual back-up copy of the music in my head when performing from memory. I don’t refer to it often, but it’s nice to know that it is there.

Performing is Not Practicing
    Performing is similar to practicing a difficult piece; it gets easier the more you do it. Perform often, in low-pressure, positive environments before you jump into the big competition. Play for parents and grandparents, friends, in retirement homes, hospitals, or churches. You will have great experiences and positive memories of your performance when you play at a more stressful audition or competition. As you gain confidence, you will feel comfortable taking more artistic and emotional risks. You will also be able to view an audition or competition as simply one more event in your life as a musician, not as the ultimate make or break scenario.

Just Breathe
    For some reason, this is the trickiest thing to do when you are nervous. Once you have the ability to control your breathing, however, the other physical and mental distractions associated with performance anxiety seem to fall by the wayside. Deep breathing physically gets you away from the “fight-or-flight” mentality of shallow breathing and muscle tension.
    Peter Lloyd, principal flute of the London Symphony for many years, taught me a wonderful four-step breathing exercise. He used to do it on the train – so you can certainly do it away from your normal practice area, perhaps even while lying down at night, or while you are in an exceptionally long line at the grocery store!
    Use a second hand on a clock, or a metronome set at quarter = 60.
1.    Breathe in for four seconds. (Breathe from your gut, not your upper chest. Think of filling your lungs from the bottom up while keeping your shoulders down and relaxed.)
2.    Hold for four seconds.
3.    Breathe out for four seconds.
4.    Hold for four seconds.

    Practice this for fifteen minutes. It may seem pretty simple at first, but you will probably start sweating by minute nine or so. If the exercise is too easy for you, bump up each step to five seconds long, then six seconds, and so forth. One of his students, a very accomplished swimmer, managed to get to 26-seconds.
Another great exercise is to practice performing with an increased heart rate by doing sprints or climbing stairs before playing. They raise the heart rate and simulate a performance situation. Then focus on deep breathing and concentration while you play.
    Relaxation exercises teach you how to release tension deliberately when it builds up in your body. The “Progressive Relaxation Exercise” is a example of an exercise that is available on many websites; you can download audio files and hear someone guide you through the exercises. I occasionally use progressive relaxation exercises to help me fall asleep at night!

Practice Creative Visualization
     Athletes visualize their ideal performance many days before a competition. Psychologists say it takes about 21 days to successfully break a habit and learn a new one, so start visualizing your concert or audition scenario three weeks before the event.
    Some call creative visualization “the theater of the mind.” When you are visualizing, the sky’s the limit: you can infuse musical passages with specific colors, fleeting images, or scenes from your life, whatever emotion or thought jumps out at you when you think about a phrase. The goal is not for the audience to hear or understand the visualization, but that you are completely invested in what you are portraying at a specific moment in time.

A Short Visualization Exercise
    Maltz’s premise in Psycho-Cybernetics is that we can program the brain with positive performance results by visualizing the performance before it takes place. See yourself walk on stage, take a bow, and play each piece  beautifully, easily, and exactly how you want it to go. Doing this mental exercise creates a sense of confidence and well-being. It also tells your brain that, when you walk on stage to actually play the recital, you won’t be playing it for the first time. You have done it dozens of time before in your imagination.
    Try this short exercise. Close your eyes and get comfortable. Sit in a comfortable chair or lie on a bed or sofa. Breathe evenly and deeply.
    Go through the performance with as much detail as possible: what does the hall look, feel and sound like? Who is in the audience? How will you enter the stage? What are you wearing? What do the flute keys feel like under your fingers? How do you sound? How does your body feel as you breathe in and out? Most importantly, what emotions are you feeling as you play? What do you want to give to the audience? What feelings and ideas in the music do you want to portray?
Tell yourself that, if someone coughs or you have a slight memory slip or technical mishap, you will just acknowledge it and move on with what you want to present. Distractions happen in performances, and the important thing is to stay focused and simply turn them into a small blip instead of a major earthquake.

Monitor Self-talk
    How many times during the day do you find that you are silently berating yourself in your head? Thought patterns are powerful. If you catch yourself doing this on a regular basis, and the things you say are consistently negative, write them down, sentence by sentence. Change each negative into a sentence with a positive outcome. For example: “I am so bad on this phrase – I can never get enough air!” might become, “I play this phrase beautifully when I relax and simply fill up my lungs.”
    We form pictures in our heads with words: if you tell yourself not to do something, your brain will still form a mental image of the exact thing you don’t want to do, albeit with a big red psychological X slashed through it. It’s much more effective to tell yourself what you do want, rather than what you don’t want.

Create a Safe Haven
    I coach a wonderful principal flutist who plays with a semi-professional orchestra on a regular basis, and she used this technique with great success when she was invited to perform a concerto with her orchestra. In addition to the creative visualization exercises, she wanted a little extra insurance in case performance jitters suddenly hit. So when she was in a relaxed, comfortable state of mind, she visualized the most calming, serene, safe place she could think of.
   (This can be a place that is familiar to you, or something created in your imagination.) She then anchored that thought with a deliberate physical action. This action is something you would normally not do in the course of your playing or daily life, such as touching your thumb to your middle finger lightly. After a few weeks of practice, she could easily elicit the feeling of being in her safe place whenever she did the action. She used this technique on stage with great success, and it helped her give a stellar performance.

Relate to the Audience
    Get rid of the me-vs.-them mentality, which is essentially your ego trying to protect itself. The more consumed we get with ourselves and what we are going through, the more distance we put between ourselves and the audience. We end up feeling more isolated and less able to share a musical experience, and the audience can sense this. Focus on the music, what you’re trying to say with the music, and what you can give to people. 
    We learn skills like brushing our teeth and tying our shoes by practice and trial and error. We forget the failures and learn from the successful attempts until the skill becomes a habit. We learn music and how to perform on stage with ease and grace the same way. We must suspend judgment of our failures and see them as simply pieces of information in the learning process. That outlook allows us to learn from successful attempts. Problems arise not when we err, but when we pass judgment on ourselves for not being perfect all the time.
    I have many humorous recollections of angst-filled competition days as a high school and college student. I viewed the judges very much as being out to get me, ready to pounce on every little mistake I made. Naturally, my playing very often reflected this. My opinion of judges changed dramatically when I became one myself and realized a couple of important points. They want the competitors to do their best because they have all have been there too, and the judges are only human. Sometimes their comments are terse or not specific, but after listening to three hours of flutists, they get tired. Most important, each judge has his own bias about what is the best flute playing.
    A number of years ago, when I first started judging, I judged a high school flute competition. There were two students in the finals for their age group, and the panel of three judges was to assign first and second place winners. The first student, in my opinion, was better. Although her tone lacked focus, she was much more musically expressive. The second student had a beautiful sound but not much in the way of musical expression. I figured it was a slam dunk; of course we should reward the most musical performance.
    However, one of the other judges was very adamant about awarding first place to the student with the beautiful tone. She thought the foundation for flute playing was a gorgeous sound, and if you don’t have that, what do you have? After much debate we awarded first place to the beautiful flute tone student.
A few years later I was chatting with a college flute professor. We were discussing various former students, and the college teacher recalled a student who had been frustrating to teach because she had a beautiful sound that had garnered much praise. However, it had been incredibly difficult to elicit musical expression from that student through all four years of college as a music major. That former college student happened to be the judge I had run into on the flute competition panel.
    She was not an incompetent judge, she merely valued an aspect of playing that she had received praise for and viewed as being the most important for successful flutists. While most competition judges may not be that overt, none are purely unbiased in a medium that is so subjective. So, view judges’ comments accordingly. The common-sense flip side, of course, is that if every judge is making the same types of comments, you might want to heed their collective advice.
Trust in yourself, and trust that the music will take care of itself. One of my favorite expressions is “Leap, and the net will appear.” There is something delightfully freeing (and very ironic) about letting go and trusting that the habits you’ve worked hard to acquire will be there naturally, in this place and in this time.
    Find balance: When you’re in the practice room, you obviously do need to be detailed and picky with what you’re doing and analyze what’s wrong so you can correct it. If you do that during a performance, your performance will seem stifled and self-conscious. Don’t critique yourself when performing – just play. This is not to say that you don’t focus on any technical aspects or are space out when you are on stage; rather, it’s a delicate dance between mental focus on certain parts of the music while allowing your creativity and built-up habits to flow through your performance.
    For example, when there is a tricky technical passage coming up, I might direct my focus to have clean fingers between the D and the E, but my overall thought is always going to be more global in scope: what do I want to get across musically.
    Cultivate gratitude. To be truly comfortable sharing your music with others, you have to feel, on some level, that you have been given a beautiful gift, and that you can afford to give it away without the knowledge of what you will get in return. As musicians we often work in the trenches, trying to perfect this or that thing, comparing ourselves to whomever, or wishing this or that were different. We simply forget to be grateful for the grace to learn and grow, grateful for the ability to blow into a shiny metal tube and make others feel something. Grateful for a world with music. 

Resources
Maxwell Maltz: Psycho-Cybernetics
Robert Caldwell: Performer Prepares
Don Greene: Fight Your Fear and Win: 7 Skills for Performing Your Best Under Pressure – At Work, In Sports, On Stage
Barry Green: The Inner Game of Music
Janet Esposito: In the Spotlight: Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and Performing
Linda Chatterton: It Sounded Better at Home! (linda@lindachatterton.com for publication notification).
 

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Teaching
    Chatterton has a small studio of private students in her home. “My youngest student is in 6th grade, and my oldest is around 75. I teach a range of abilities, but most are quite advanced. I have a special place in my heart for the adult amateurs, who are such interesting, lovely people. They come to the flute because they love it. They usually have very interesting lives and jobs, and many of them have gone on to become friends.”
    Although Chatterton is not associated with a college or university, she has created a varied and active career for herself. “When I was growing up, my Dad had his own business. He built custom homes, and my Mom helped run the business. I learned a lot from both of them. I think you either have an entrepreneurial bent or you don’t, and I definitely have it. Over the years I have learned that you ride the waves of success and stay true to what you are passionate about.
    “I do concerts and masterclasses all over the country. The concerts are mostly with pianists or harpists. I’m also in a flute-cello-harp trio in Minneapolis. I just finished my fifth recording and also give performance anxiety clinics. I am actually writing a book about it at the moment. I also give guest lectures for music business classes.”
     She has established this solo career without benefit of an agent. “At the heart of it, I believe that I have a special gift and a message that is of value to an audience. Practically speaking, to manage my career, I spend more time in the office than in the practice room. Nobody likes making calls pitching concert ideas, looking for work, and generating publicity. I really hate making cold calls, so I usually send out emails.”
    “I contact colleges and concert series to discuss whether my programming could fit into their offerings and work with a booking agency as well. For example, I will be on tour during March with about 20 concerts that the agency has set up. I have had a relationship with the booking agency for about six years, so they know me and my playing.”
    “When flutists go to school, they all think they are going to be orchestra players. We practice our excerpts and prepare for the auditions, but even in college, I was already booking solo gigs. A solo career was where my true passion was. It wasn’t so much that ego thing of being on stage, I just really love communicating with an audience. I always talk with the audience, tell them about the pieces, and spend time at intermission chatting with them as well. It’s a way to connect, and I use my flute to do that also. I think if you don’t have that passion, it is probably the reason why you are sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring.”
    “I love performing new music and working with composers. On several concerts this fall I played the American premiere of Bruce Stark’s American Suite and also performed Gaze by John Halle for flute and piano, which was difficult but a lot of fun. I commission works and want to keep doing that. One of my favorite commissions is a solo piece called This Floating World by Edie Hill, who is a Minneapolis composer. She wrote the piece for me based on the imagery found in five haiku poems. They are five charming little vignettes that not only are beautifully written for the flute but also match the imagery of the poetry perfectly. I have played the piece for audiences around the country who really enjoy it. Brent Michael Davids, a terrific Native American composer, will be writing a concerto for me based on various Native American traditions of courting flutes.”

Yoga and Exercise
    “I am a runner and do yoga. As an interesting side story, I was having some back pain, so I went to a chiropractor who took x-rays. It turns out that one whole side of my body is significantly stronger than the other, so much so that my spine is a bit crooked. One hip is even higher than the other. It never occurred to me that holding a flute could make such a difference.
    “I’ve done a little Alexander Technique and David Gorman’s LearningMethods with a teacher in the Twin Cities. LearningMethods teaches you to be aware of the messages you are telling yourself and how they affect how you move your body. For example, my neck is somewhat out of alignment because I tend to move toward the flute instead of bringing the flute to me. Because I am concerned about getting my point across to the audience or to students, I have a strong inclination while playing to move my head forward, toward the audience. After two decades of flute playing, both of these tendencies have taken my neck out of alignment. Awareness is half the battle and I am working on changing the habit.”

Performance Anxiety
    When Chatterton was in high school, Robert Webb gave her a copy of Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz. This self-help book was read by millions of people, first in the 1960s and later in the 1980s. A major part of the book is devoted to visualization. For musicians this means using an exercise for weeks before a recital in which you see yourself walk on stage, take a bow, and perform a recital easily, thereby programming the brain with positive input before actually playing the recital. Chatterton uses the book in the performance anxiety workshops that she leads.
    “Even people who don’t have performance anxiety want to improve, and everybody gets a little bit nervous before they go out on stage. I have never had debilitating performance anxiety, but when I was in high school and college, I wanted to be more consistent in my performances and feel comfortable in front of the audience. I didn’t want to hold anything back because of fear that I would make a technical mistake. Visualization is a good way to do that.
    “There are performers who focus on realizing the composer’s intent and being true to the music. Of course you need to be stylistically true to the composer and the time period, but when I work on a piece, I try to be aware of the thoughts and feelings that come from my own mind and experiences.
    “Recently I was practicing the Copland Duo for a recording project. Because of his harmonic and melodic use and his very pure American sound, it brought up warm memories of family reunions when I was a kid. Now when I play the Copland, I don’t consciously think about those memories, but I think the audience gets a sense that I am absolutely committed to sharing my feelings about the piece. It is also a wonderful way to imbue a piece with life. When you think outside of music, you can ask what emotion does this bring up, or what image, or color, or anything. Visualization allows us to flex other creative muscles.
    “Visualization takes time because the exercises are done in addition to your regular practice time. In college we were expected to practice 4 or 5 hours a day, and I can’t do that now. The times that I have practiced that long, I ended up hurting myself. You have to be more astute and creative as you get older and learn to achieve a great performance without spending more hours in the practice room. There are only so many times you can keep drilling a particular piece or etude until it becomes stale.” 

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