Summer is a time to chill out and spend time playing beautiful music. These books are perfect for exactly that.
Otto M Schwarz: Poesia for Flute with audio download.
There is surely a place in everyone’s library for a book of beautiful music to play with a really good audio download and this lovely book is perfect. The flute part is well-written, lying in the non-stressful part of the range, with accompaniments that are classy and lush. The style is easy-listening which is great for those days when scales seem just a step too far. Difficulty Guide: 5-6
Magnus Bage: Flute Beauty – 12 Melodies for Flute and Piano
Here are 12 beautiful melodies for flute and piano – just as it says on the cover. This is a book that can be used and enjoyed by everyone and it is progressive so you can work through them easily enough. The style is an appealing easy listening genre with a jazz influence, and the pieces really work. Most of them fall into the slower, dreamy category (The Depth of you Being and My Heart Will Know) to the slightly more upbeat such as the Variation to Delightful Journey and Gigue. The piano accompaniment is an integral part of the overall effect so playing these with a like-minded friend would a wonderful way to pass an afternoon. If you like your music to be comfortable and warm this is definitely the book for you. Difficulty Guide: 5-7
Fernando Brandao: Brazilian and Afro Cuban Jazz Conception for Flute with audio download
This is a great book of jazz tunes that you can either enjoy as they are or improve by using the performance guide and practising the improvisation exercises given for each piece. The download is of a high quality and easy to use, and the music laid-back and lovely. To chill or not to chill – that is the question. Difficulty Guide: 6-8
Chris Lawry and Keri Degg: Tales from the Cornish Coast for Flute and Piano with online audio
These six melodies are unmistakably Cornish. Wistful and sad, they conjure up vistas of windswept beaches and endless horizons which are often shrouded in mist. Intermediate flute players will love the simplicity of the writing and the use of the backing track, and everyone will enjoy the imaginative soundscapes created here. You don’t have to love Cornwall to appreciate this. Difficulty Guide: 2-5
arr Elisabeth Parry and John Alley: L’Amour – French Romantic Melodies for Flute and Piano
This selection of short arrangements is perfect if you’d like to indulge in some lovely French melody! From the gorgeous ‘Softly Awakes my Heart’ to Gounod’s ‘Je veux vivre’ there is a good spread of styles here with Duparc’s haunting ‘Rapture’ being a particular highlight and the ‘Doll Song’ from Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffman the most substantial. The arrangements are great too so buy and enjoy! Difficulty Guide 5-7
