Flute music : Repertoire : Australian Music Centre

Flute music

Australian music for flute

The size of the Australian repertory for flute reflects the popularity of the instrument. There is a rich variety of works composed over several decades, including full-scale concertos and sonatas, chamber music and solo pieces. Significant works in the concerto genre, include works by William Lovelock, Clifford Abbott, John Carmichael, Carl Vine's concerto and Matthew Hindson. Among the many other composers to have contributed to the flute repertory include Raymond Hanson, Don Banks, Nigel Butterley, Anne Boyd, Brenton Broadstock, Andrew Schultz, Chris Dench, Larry Sitsky and Michael Whiticker.

Like the clarinet there are composer/performers on the flute who are breaking new ground in extended techniques and include Keyna Wilkins and Christine Draeger. In recent years the landscape has changed with a more diverse range of composers writing for the instrument. This is especially due to the collaboration between the Ngarra Burria First People’s Composers’ program and Ensemble Offspring. For Ngarra Burria, flautist Lamorna Nightingale has mentored the composers to write works that highlight the range of the instrument as well as its dynamics and expressive techniques. In addition, Eliza Shephard’s commissioning/curatorial project March of the Women has brought back into the public domain flute repertoire by Australian composers from the past such Mirrie Hill and Esther Rofe as well as commissioning new works by composers that include Ella Macens and Catherine Likuta.

Representative works

	Work	Notes
	Spinning (1988) by Andrew Ford	Composed for the American flautist Tara Helen O'Connor, who was learning circular breathing at the time, Spinning treats the alto flute like a piece of precision machinery.
	Ecstatic dances (1990) by Ross Edwards	For two flutes – a duo consisting of two dances, the first a graceful interplay of hypnotic insect sound patterns, the second a radiant, insistently melodic dance.
	Sonata (1960) by Richard Meale	A dramatic, modernist classic of the Australian flute repertory, Meale's early sonata was once deemed lost but was subsequently reconstructed.
	Caught breath of time (1981) by Chris Dench	An adventurous piece for solo flute, during the course of which the soloist is gradually overcome by 'amnesia', forgetting the piece's substance and shedding the sophistications of musical decoration.
	Across the Oceans Deep and Blue (2017) by John Peterson	Inspired by the fact that Australia is an island continent, the music represents a vision of the deep blue oceans that surround it.
	Aeons (2025) by Peggy Polias	A solo piece that reflects on the passage of time, and the memories and dreams that frame the present.
	Concerto for flute and orchestra (1975) by Colin Brumby	A work made popular by the Australian flautist Vernon Hill.
	Goldfish through summer rain (1978) by Anne Boyd	A widely played work for flute and piano with Asian influences typical of Boyd. The piece is suitable for young performers (AMEB grade 6).
	Aureole (1982) by Brenton Broadstock	First of Broadstock's series of Aureole pieces, this work for flute and piano has become a permanent part of many flautists' repertory.
	Sonata (1992) by Carl Vine	A sonata that has achieved international prominence.
	And My Angel Whisper Peace to Me (2014) by Jim Coyle	Commissioned as a piece for Tin Whistle, it is equally suited to performance on flute, oboe, piccolo or descant recorder.
	Bardju (Footprints) (2017) by Brenda Gifford	This work represents our collective journey and tells us that we should tread lightly on Mother Earth.
	Bardo (2019) by Christopher Sainsbury	There is an element of bi-tonality in the piece reflecting the hope of many cultures drinking from the same springs.
	between (2013) by Charlie Sdraulig	In this work, the performers play a very small repertoire of sounds that are varied in a small number of ways.
	Chatterbox rag (2010) by Elena Kats-Chernin	Written in the style of a ragtime.
	Daybreak (2018) by Tristan Coelho	The somposer intends this work intend the work to be accessible for high school and undergraduate-level flautists but also suitable for professional performers.
	Filigree (2019) by Harry Sdraulig	Cast as a single-movement rondo, Filigree alternates virtuosic and ornamental fast passages with lyrical and expressive interludes.
	The king in yellow (2012) by Melody Eötvös	This work is based on three stories from the psychological horror (pre-Lovecraft/Kafka) book by Robert W. Chambers of the same title.