This collection of 37 traditional French tunes offer you the opportunity to play many different dance forms, including a couple of bourées, mazurkas, as well as a branle, a farandole, a galop, a schottische, and tarantella.
These charming pieces are from several regions of France, including Alsace, Auvergne, Brittany, Flanders, and Gascogne.
Each Tunes for Two collection consists of individual spiral-bound duet books presented in score form with melody on the top line and harmony beneath so you can play each tune by yourself or with others. Duo arrangements of the tunes in this collection, in the same keys, are available for violins, violas, cellos, basses, mandolins, soprano recorders, and alto recorders.
The tunes in this collection are laid out so that there are no page turns to interrupt the flow of your playing.
PDFs are available worldwide for each of the books in the Tunes for Two series.
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“A La Ballade” “Ah! Vous Dirai-Je, Maman” “Alouette” “Au Clair De La Lune” “Ballet Roussillon” “Balsobienno” “Bon Voyage Mr. Dumollet” “bourée Larousse” “Celui Qui Sut Toucher Mon Coeur”” ““Cotillion Toulonoise” “Dans La Prairie” “Danses Des Claques” “Der Wasserkrug” “En Avant Blonde” “En Revenant D’Auvergne” “Excuse Donc Beau Cavalier” “Farandole” “French Polka” “Frere Jacques” “Galops” “Hans Im Schnokaloch” “Hanter Dro” “Il Etait une Bergere” “J’Aime Vos Beaux Yeux” “Kost Ar C’Hoat” “L’Inconnue” “La Railleuse” “Le Furet Du Bois Joli” “Ma Grand-Mere Quand Je Danse” “New French Schottische” “Papa, Les P’Tits Bateaux” “Rasca” “Savez-Vous Planter Les Choux?” “Shawl Dance” “Tourdion” “Valse Ecossaise” “Zimimbrina” |
“As is typical of Deborah Greenblatt’s work, the arrangements of pleasing tunes are well done and accessible to a diverse audience of recorder players.
The publisher continues the practice of printing with unpretentious colored covers (red for French Fiddle Tunes). The table of contents is printed on the outside front cover. The binding is a nice spiral, enabling the music to lie flat on the stand.
Both the soprano and alto versions of each piece have the same key signature. Therefore, the alto volume consists of the same music as the soprano but is, for the most part, written up an octave. There are a few exceptions in which the alto parts are given on the same pitch level as the soprano. The practical effect is that much of the alto music is set in the upper register of the instrument, which offers something of a challenge even for more experienced players. The intention is to enable groups with both soprano and alto players to work together.
Page turns are generally avoided by the insertion of blank pages. Spacing on the pages and between staves makes for overall clarity with regard to pitches and other markings. (It is a pet peeve of mine to play from crowded staves that make it difficult to identify pitches that involve ledger lines — no problem with that here.)
There are no difficult keys. Chromatic notes are found, and in a few cases, they are a bit challenging.
These editions are accessible to intermediate players. Rhythms are generally straightforward. The textures are a mix: artfully arranged polyphony or homophony, and some in which one line carries the melody and the other serves an accompaniment function.
While some tunes are short and simple, others are longer and more elaborate. Some are composed of a melody and variations, in which the voices cross registers and trade the melody back and forth. While most of the pieces are not difficult, there are several that present more of a challenge, and thus can appeal to more experienced players. Because of the skillful arrangements, they would be very effective in concert performances.
This edition would make for great additions to one’s recorder library. Because they contain a mix of easier and a bit more challenging pieces that are pleasingly arranged, they offer less and more experienced players both a challenge and an opportunity to play simply for the enjoyment of the music.”
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