Rondo in B minor, by Franz Schubert, Transcribed for Flute

SOMERVILLE, Mass. - July 8, 2019 - PRLog -- Noteworthy Sheet Music, LLC (NSM) is an online sheet music publisher with a catalog of ~175 editions, most of which are unavailable from other sources.  NSM specializes in, but is not limited to, sheet music for flute and alto flute.  They offer original contemporary works by distinguished American composers, re-notated versions or facsimiles of rare historical scores, and unique transcriptions of pieces from the classical repertoire.  Selected NSM publications are offered as professionally-printed hard copy editions, and most of NSM's catalog listings are available as convenient pdf downloads from the NSM website.

The Rondo in B minor, D.895 (alternatively known as Rondeau brillant) was written for violin and piano in 1826 by the great Austrian composer Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828).  Dedicated to the young violin virtuoso Josef Slawjk, the Rondo is demanding in both the solo and piano parts.  The work consists of an Andante introduction and an Allegro rondo, and is quite long at 713 measures and typically some thirteen minutes or more in duration, requiring considerable stamina of the performers.  Inexplicably, the piece is less familiar to players and audiences than many of Schubert's other works.  Brian Newbould, renowned composer, conductor, author, and Schubert expert, wrote of the Rondo in his treatise Schubert: The Music and the Man (University of California Press, Jan 1, 1997, p365): "Not surprisingly, perhaps, it is little known because it is seldom played.  But it is also undervalued: it scintillates, dances and sings, with a blend of infectious joy, tireless energy, rhythmic zip and ‒ from time to time ‒ heart-melting turns of melody and harmony."

These characteristics and the way the music realizes them are not only suitable to but often even suggestive of a wind instrument.  The new Noteworthy Sheet Music transcription provides effective flute-friendly alternatives for the violin's double-stops as well as for occasional notes that fall below the flute's range, so the piece can be played comfortably and beautifully on flute.  The Rondo is virtuosic in places, showy and exciting, and overall great fun to play.  The NSM edition of the transcribed flute part does not include a re-notated copy of the score, since high-quality PDFs of the piano and violin score are freely available in the public domain and are sufficient to use along with the flute part, in lieu of violin.  Additional information about this new publication, including a preview page of the flute part, can be found on the NSM website at https://www.noteworthysheetmusic.com/score-descriptions/38-flute-a-piano/690-schubert-rondo-in-b-minor-flute-and-piano.

Browse the entire NSM site at https://www.noteworthysheetmusic.com/ to learn about other outstanding editions, including works for voice, strings, brass, winds, and percussion in addition to a large selection of repertoire for flute and alto flute.  New sheet music publications are uploaded often, along with preview pages, contemporary composer biographies, audio samples, CD listings, useful links, reviews and articles.