Sonatina for Flute and Piano

ELDIN BURTON (1913-1979)

Eldin Burton studied composition and piano at the Atlanta Conservatory and Julliard
School of Music. Sonatina for Flute and Piano is adapted from a solo piano composition
written for a class at Julliard and is Burton’s best-known work. He dedicated this
composition to a fellow Julliard student, flutist Samuel Baron, who premiered the piece
in 1947 in New York City. Sonatina won the composition contest of the New York Flute
Club in 1948 and won a publishing contract with G. Schirmer Inc.

Sonatina for flute and piano has three-movements: 1) Allegretto grazioso, 2) Andantino
Sognando, and 3) Allegro giocoso quasi fandango. The first movement has a song-like
melody with lyrical scales and arpeggios against a rich harmonic structure. The second
movement has inquisitives and bold moments with a playful “B” section. The third
movement begins with bursts of energetic dance-like passages and is in a lively triple
meter.

Histoire du Tango Pour Flute et Guitare

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA (1921-1992)

This piece was originally composed for flute and guitar in 1986; however, Nicholas Fox and I
will be performing it for flute and marimba. Piazzolla composed “Histoire du Tango” a few
decades after he introduced the nuevo tango (new tango). Nuevo tango was a new Argentine
musical style that incorporated classical music, with its technicality and musical structure, and
jazz, with its unique syncopations and improvisatory elements. Although this piece contains many
contemporary elements, it also includes numerous ideas based in traditional South American
musics.

One of these musical ideas is called arrastre (from the Spanish term arrastrar, meaning to drag).
This musical embellishment is what gives the tango its “swing” feel. There are three main types
of arrastre (shown in example 1): a glissando line, appoggiaturas, and a 16 th note chromatic
upbeat. Commented [KM1]: Make sure your excerpts are not
cut off, and that the image files have a resolution that
makes them clear on the page (they’re a little blurry right
now)

Example 1

Another traditional Argentine music concept included in this piece is called the 3-2-2. This
rhythm in a 2/4 time signature (although it is also used in a 4/4 time signature) includes a dotted
8th note (consisting of three 16th note values), a 16th note tied to an 8th note (again, consisting of
three 16th note values), and an 8th note on the & of 2 (consisting of two 16th note values). This
pattern (shown in example 2) became one of Piazzolla’s signature rhythms and is heavily
embedded into the accompaniment and melody of Histoire Du Tango.

This piece includes four movements: 1) Bordel 1900, 2) Cafe 1930, 3) Nightclub 1960, and 4)
Concert d’aujourd’hui. The first movement, Bordel 1900, is set in an early 20th century bordello
or brothel. The bordellos in Buenos Aires were the setting where tango music was originally
performed. The second movement, Café 1930, was intended for listening only since tango music
at this time was typically focused solely on the music itself.

Example 2
Compared to the first movement, Café 1930 is slower and more romantic. The third movement,
Nightclub 1960, illustrates another transformation of the tango that blends the Argentine tango
style with the Brazilian bossa nova (which translates to “new trend”). It possesses the flashy
elements of the first movement as well as the slow, romantic elegance of the second movement.
The fourth movement, Concert d’aujourd’hui, translates to “modern-day concert.” This
movement represents, as does the second movement, the idea of the tango being solely for the
music and not for the dance and includes atonal, eccentric melodies. Commented [KM2]: Do you mean only music and not
dance? This is not clear.
Shikararete
RYUTARO HIROTA (1892-1952)

Shikararete is a famous Japanese folk song composed in 1920 by Ryutaro Hirota, a Japanese
composer. Shikararete translates to “they were scolded” and is a special folk song to sing in
Japan. This song was transcribed for flute and koto, which is the version Xiaohui and I will be
playing on flute and piano. Hirota studied at the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music and he
was of great importance to the development of music education for children.

(translation by Katsura Shimizu)

Japanese Lyrics English Translation

叱られて Scolded
叱られて Scolded
あの子は町まで お使いに The one who was sent to run an errand to the town
この子はぼうやを ねんねしな The one was asked to lull a baby boy
夕べさみしい 村はずれ In the evening, feeling lonely at the edge of a village
こんときつねが なきゃせぬか A fox might call “yelp!”

叱られて Scolded
叱られて Scolded
口にはださねど 目に涙 Saying nothing with tears in the eyes
二人のお里は あの山を The village of the two lies beyond the mountain
越えてあなたの 花の村 Far over the mountain and with full of flowers
ほんに花見は いつのこと Alas! When to see the blooming cherry blossoms

Rumänische Volkstänze
BELA BARTOK (1881-1945)

Rumänische Volkstänze translates to Romanian Folk Dances and it was composed by Bartok in
1915. From 1909 to 1914, Bartok traveled to the Transylvanian region, where he listened to,
recorded, and transcribed the music there. When composing the Romanian Folk Dances, Bartok
preserved their pitch and rhythmic structure while including new harmonic language for the
accompaniment. Below is a list of the different dances within this piece:

1. Der Tanz mit dem Stabe (The Dance with the Staff)
2. Braul (Sash Dance)
3. Der Stampfer (The Rammer)
4. Tanz aus Butschum (Dance from Bucsum)
5. Rumanische Polka (Romanian Polka)
6. Schnell-Tanz (Fast Dance)
 References

Cha, Ercilia. "Argentina: Tango." In The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music.

Cliff Eisen. "Piazzolla, Astor." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford
University Press. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.

Hoeppner, Susan. (1998). The Sea in Spring(CD). Akersberga, Sweden: BIS Records.
(September 1998)

Hoeppner, Susan. (2010). American Flute Masterpieces(CD). Marquis Music.

Link, Kacey, and Kristin Wendland. "What Makes It an Argentine Tango?" Oxford
Scholarship Online. Oxford University Press, Mar. 2016. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.

Molazadeh, Sheila. "An Analysis of Astor Piazzolla’s Histoire Du Tango for Flute and
Guitar and the Influence of Latin Music on Flute Repertoire." Thesis. California
State University, Northridge, 2013. Print.

Romanian Folk Dances, BB. 68 (2017). Los Angelos Philharmonic Association.

Retrieved from https://www.laphil.com/philpedia/music/romanian-folk-dances-
bb-68-bela-bartok