Unfinished Flute

'Unfinished Flute' is my latest flute composition written in January 2006. The piece was written as a bit of a joke to prove that the key of Db major really existed. The piece is incomplete as it lacks title, dynamics, and articulation - but I thought that I would put it on here anyway. The completion of the piece has been interrupted, but I hope that it will be finished soon.

The score is for currently free on my Sibelius web site. Please click here to buy it. Alternatively, please contact me if you would like a copy posted to you.

Composition of ‘Unfinished’
The piece came about as the result of a joke about if the key of Db major existed. I decided to prove a point by writing a piece in the key of Db. I came up with the idea in the car on the way to school on the 5/1/06 and as a result of having few teaching commitments that day, the piece arrived at its current state a few hours later. The main theme (bb.1-8) of the flute part was written first and the harmony added later. The returning theme (bb34-48) was next to be completed and then the middle section (bb17-32). The ending went through three revisions before reaching the current state. The current bars 49-53 replaced a single bar consisting of a cadential 6/4 - 5/3 progression leading into b54. In addition, the penultimate chord of the piece was originally more dissonant.

Analysis:

The piece is in ternary form with the following structure:

‘A’ Section (1-16):
The 'A' section consists of two repetitions of the main theme (1-4, 5-8) followed four bars that move the pieces away from the tonal centre of D and then back again.

‘B’ Section (17-32):
The first four bars of the 'B' section introduce a new melody over semi-quaver figuration in the piano. The G# in bar 19 suggests the dorian mode on B. Bars 21-24 suggest a movement back toward the major mode but this is side-stepped at the last moment with a chord of F# (24) acting as V in Bm. The final 8 bars of this section develop the main theme from the first section closing with a chord pattern similar to that found in 13-16.

‘A’ Section (32-48):
The returning 'A' features a significantly altered flute part which is decorated and expanded. As before, the piano takes the melody second with the flute providing a counter.

Coda (49-58):
The coda begins with rising chords over a dominant pedal with the flute playing the main theme sequentially. This is followed by an A9 chord spread across the piano. The final bars quote a piano figuration (54-56) from Rachmanioff's Gm prelude before the piece closes with a plagal cadence.