CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE

Extended Technique and the Modern Flautist:

A Comparison of Two Contemporary Works for Flute

A thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements

For the degree of Master of Music in Music, Performance

By

Anna Martone

May 2019

Copyright by Anna Martone 2019

ii

The Thesis of Anna Martone is approved:

______

Professor Heather Clark Date

______

Dr. Lawrence Stoffel Date

______

Dr. Alexandra Monchick, Chair Date

California State University, Northridge

iii Dedication

This thesis is dedicated to my wonderful family for their immense amount of love and support throughout my time here at CSUN. Without all of you by my side, none of my accomplishments over the past six years would even be possible.

I would also like to thank Heather Clark, Sandy Kipp Iles, and Dr. Stoffel for the knowledge and guidance you have bestowed on me throughout my time here.

iv Table of Contents

Copyright Page ii

Signature Page iii

Dedication iv

Abstract vi

Chapter 1: Introduction 1

Chapter 2: Extended Technique in the Practice Room 4

Chapter 3: What is Extended Technique on Flute? 10

Chapter 4: Density 21.5 15

Chapter 5: Common Examples of Extended Technique 17

Chapter 6: “Crystal for flute, alto flute, and piano” 21

Chapter 7: “Charanga for solo flute” 27

Chapter 8: Conclusion 33

Works Cited 35

Appendix E: Recital Program 37

v

Abstract

Extended Technique and the Modern Flautist:

A Comparison of Two Contemporary Works for Flute

By

Anna Martone

Master of Music in Music, Performance

This thesis will explore the wide variety of extended technique that is possible in flute repertoire, and how the composer’s background may have an affect on how the

vi extended technique is written, expected to be performed, and what is possible in performance by the flautist. Over the last thirty years, flute repertoire has expanded its boundaries of traditional flute technique with the compositional use of extended technique. In addition, the use of extended technique in the practice room furthers a flautist’s physical connection in their playing, and it has completely transformed the repertoire that is being programmed on recitals.

On my graduate recital, I performed two pieces that explored vast amounts of extended technique. The pieces I performed are “Charanga for solo flute” by Michael

Colquhoun, and “Crystal for flute, alto flute, and piano” by Michael Daugherty. Both of these composers have very different backgrounds as musicians. Through comparing and contrasting these pieces, and through my personal practice and performance of these pieces, I discovered there is a difference in how these composers approached extended techniques on the flute.

In addition, I will discuss how extended technique has become an essential tool for the professional flautist, especially since the world of flute repertoire has changed.

Also, I will show through my own preparation and performance of these pieces, that it is easier to learn and perform pieces by composers who have knowledge of the flute by being flautists themselves. And when composing pieces with extended technique, this knowledge leads to an overall better performance result and an easier preparation process.

vii Chapter 1: Introduction

Extended technique has transformed flute repertoire and shown that the modern flautist must have knowledge to be able to perform them in the professional world. There have been many contemporary pieces written for flute that include extended technique, but a comparison of two specific works may show that compositions written by a flautist are much easier to learn and perform. In the past, extended technique has often been overlooked by teachers and students, simply because it seemed too difficult or not necessary to take the time to learn, especially since it is outside of the standard flute technique practiced on a daily basis. In reality, these techniques are easy to incorporate into daily practice and can highly benefit some of the other techniques that are often practiced. Flautists often stumble upon basic extended technique without even realizing it is an extended technique.

Beginning in the 1980’s flute repertoire has transformed dramatically due to the implementation of extended technique, and it has proven to become a staple technique that must be learned and mastered by any professional flautist. “Charanga for solo flute” composed by Michael Colquhoun and “Crystal for flute, alto flute, and piano” composed by Michael Daugherty both use extended technique as a compositional tool to convey the message and style of these pieces, but how they are composed and how the extended technique is achieved, sheds light on the musical background of these composers and their understanding of the capabilities of the flute.

I have chosen to perform two works that are heavily influenced by extended technique on my graduate recital. The pieces are “Charanga for solo flute” by Michael

Colquhoun and “Crystal for flute, alto flute, and piano” by Michael Daugherty. Through

1 the preparation of these two pieces, I have discovered the influence that extended technique has had on my practice and overall playing. In addition, since beginning my graduate studies, I have learned that extended technique truly is a necessary tool for a professional flautist. Flute repertoire has changed so much in the last thirty years, and composers are pushing the boundaries of sound and technique on all instruments. The exploration and growth of extended technique has also led to extended technique method books, expansion in other genres of music like jazz, pop, and rock, and has inspired flautists to invent attachments to the flute that expand it’s creativity when composing and playing the flute.

Through my preparation of these two pieces for my recital, I noticed how much easier “Charanga for solo flute” was to learn. Although it had more extended technique,

Michael Colquhoun is a flautist and may have a better understanding of notation that will get the best response from the flautist interpreting it. On the other hand, Michael

Daugherty, who is a pianist, chose to notate and explain the extended techniques he used with briefer descriptions and less symbols.

I will provide examples of extended technique to show its necessity and how it is an important tool to have and teach the next generation of flautists. Additionally, I will provide historical background of extended technique on the flute that have been the cornerstones of extended technique in flute repertoire. Through musical examples from

“Charanga for solo flute” and “Crystal for flute, alto flute, and piano”, I will compare my learning process of these pieces, what is expected to be played by the flautist, and what was actually achievable based on the notation and notes that Colquhoun and Daugherty provided. Through these examples and an analysis of my learning process, I will compare

2 and describe which pieces were easier to learn and how the composer’s background and approach affected my learning process and performance of these pieces. Overall, showing that in depth knowledge of the flute is crucial when composing flute repertoire that is heavily involved with extended technique.

3 Chapter 2: Extended Technique in the Practice Room

Through the development of interest in extended technique in flute repertoire there have also been various method books that have been published to assist the learning process in the practice room. Two of these books that I have used and will discuss are,

Practice Books for the Flute: Omnibus Edition Books 1-5 by Trevor Wye and Robert

Dick’s The Other Flute: Tone Development through Extended Technique. Both of these books use extended technique as a stepping-stone to improve other areas of traditional flute technique. Some of the extended techniques that they use are whistle tones, harmonics, mulitphonics, and pitch bending.

Trevor Wye is a professional flautist, teacher, and author of several flute method books from the United Kingdom. He studied flute privately with Geoffrey Gilbert and

Marcel Moyse. Trevor Wye was a freelance orchestral and chamber music musician in

London for many years, but most famously, he is the author of Practice Books for the

Flute: Omnibus Edition 1-5, which have “received world wide acclaim and have been translated into eleven other languages.”1 Additionally, in 2011, the National Flute

Association of the USA awarded him with a Lifetime Achievement Award.2

In Trevor Wye’s tone book, he discusses various techniques and provides exercises to improve all registers and aspects of tone on the flute. One of the sections he includes is about breath control, and within this section of the book, he recommends using whistle tones to create better breath control. Whistle tones are only created when

1 Trevor Wye, Biography, Accessed April 29, 2019. http://www.trevorwye.com/page13a.html. 2 Ibid.

4 “blowing into the flute in a very light and relaxed way.”3 They are easiest to create when fingering notes in the higher register of the flute, and sound like a quiet and light whistle coming from the tone hole. Trevor Wye states, “they are the notes which sound quietly – and often accidentally – at the end of a diminuendo in the low register.”4 He also points out that its ironic how the whistle tone is created because it’s often what flautists are taught how to practice to avoid them in a diminuendo, but here there are intentional. He instructs the reader to “Finger G natural in the low register to find one of these whistle tones and hold it for as long as you can without it ‘jumping’ or wobbling.”5 Although whistle tones are easier to create in the upper register, by applying them to the low register it will help to “control the diaphragm and is equally as good for the lip muscles.”6

Overall, applying this exercise daily will show results in breath control and embouchure flexibility.

Trevor Wye also includes a section involving harmonics in his tone book.

Harmonics are very important for tone development but are also a very common compositional technique used in flute repertoire. Practicing these daily help build tone color and embouchure flexibility, in addition to maintaining this extended technique. In

Wye’s tone book, he states, “Harmonics, or overtones are the ingredients in sound which give the basic or ‘fundamental’ tone its colour and character.”7 It is important to practice harmonics in the low register to build richness in sound. Without this in the low register,

3 Trevor Wye, Practice Books for the Flute: Omnibus Edition Books 1-5 (London: Novello Publishing Limited, 1999), 27. 4 Ibid. 5 Ibid. 6 Ibid. 7 Trevor Wye, Practice Books for the Flute: Omnibus Edition Books 1-5 (London: Novello Publishing Limited, 1999), 6.

5 the middle and high registers of the flute will be much more difficult to play and create tone color. It is also essential when practicing this technique to place the notes written without the sound cracking or splitting.8 To create a harmonic, the flautist will play the principle note, and then use the fingering for that note to hit the other harmonics in the series. It requires air stream control and embouchure flexibility to avoid cracking when changing the notes in the series (Example 1).

Example 1. Harmonics Exercise from Practice Books for the Flute, Book 1: Tone

Robert Dick is a composer and flautist from New York City, NY. He studied with

Henry Zlotnik, James Pappoutsakis, Julius Baker, and Thomas Nyfenger. Dick graduated from Yale University with his B.A. in 1971, and a Masters degree in composition in

1973. He studied composition with Robert Morris, Bulant Arel, and Jacob Druckman.

After he finished school, he began performing as a soloist where he devoted his programming to contemporary repertoire.9 Robert Dick, as a composer and performer, is

8 Ibid. 9 Robert Dick, Tone Development Through Extended Techniques (New York, NY: Multiple Breath, 1986), 5.

6 a “leading proponent of contemporary music and is known worldwide for his command of extended techniques for flute.”10

Robert Dick’s book The Other Flute: Tone Development through Extended

Technique is a method book that is completely based on used extended technique to improve other areas of traditional flute technique. In the introduction section of this book,

Robert Dick explains that composers and instrumentalists are becoming more interested in discovering new sounds and that this increase is leading to a new branch of composition and performance.11 This book was published in 1986, and from then on, discovering new ways of playing instruments and writing music with extended technique has continuously grown. Robert Dick also states that learning these new techniques of flute playing will also “greatly benefit traditional playing.”12 Working daily with the exercises in his book “develops the strength, flexibility and sensitivity of the embouchure and breath support, increasing the player’s range of color, dynamics and projection.”13 In addition, the ear is strengthened too, especially when working with microtonal exercises.

Dick outlines the benefits of working with extended technique in three chapters within this book. The first chapter focuses on exercises that are designed to help the player produce “optimum resonance.”14 The second chapter has “exercises in producing single pitches, both diatonic and microtonal, with widely varying timbres and mouth use.”15 Lastly, the third chapter of the book explores multiphonics. It covers basic types

10 Ibid. 11 Robert Dick, Tone Development Through Extended Techniques (New York, NY: Multiple Breath, 1986), 7. 12 Ibid. 13 Ibid. 14 Ibid. 15 Ibid.

7 of intervals “available to both open and closed-hole flutes, which range from twelfths to less than the minor second.”16 Robert Dick closes the introduction of The Other Flute:

Tone Development through Extended Technique with remarks that there is a change in the approach to the flute, and limitations of composing and performing traditionally are being left behind.17 The flute is taking on new roles in repertoire and is becoming more of a chameleon. The music being composed is asking a flautist to quickly change the role the flute plays in compositions that are including extended technique. Therefore, it is the flautist’s responsibility to incorporate these adaptations into the practice room and

“integrate the immense capacities of the instrument into a coherent whole in which all parts support and strengthen the other.”18

After the introductory section of this book, Robert Dick includes a “Signs and

Symbols” page to dissect all the different symbols that appear through the chapters of this book.19 This is a very helpful key to be able to refer back to, especially for a flautist who is encountering extended technique notation for the first time. In addition, at the beginning of each chapter, Robert Dick also includes a brief description of the techniques you will be using in the chapter and what the goal of each technique is. This provides purpose for the flautist when working on each section, especially since extended technique can be foreign to someone who has minimal experience. Then he provides detailed descriptions of each of the extended techniques used along with exercises for each technique. Again, this is also very helpful for a flautist with minimal extended

16 Ibid. 17 Ibid. 18 Ibid. 19 Robert Dick, Tone Development Through Extended Techniques (New York, NY: Multiple Breath, 1986), 8.

8 technique experience. Personally, it is harder to distinguish if you are using extended technique properly or just creating odd or different sounds on the flute, so this in detail guide is very reliable in the practice room. In further understanding of how extended technique has grown to what it is, it is important to know the background of one of the first pieces in flute repertoire to incorporate extended technique.

9 Chapter 3: What is Extended Technique on Flute?

Extended technique is any non-traditional method of playing the flute in order to create unusual sounds or timbres.20 It is largely used as an effect in music, but has become popular to providing groove or a beat in solo repertoire, as if a percussionist is accompanying the flautist. In addition, to classical composers using extended techniques, it has also become popular in pop music and jazz. Some common examples of extended techniques on the flute include flutter tongue, singing while playing, multiphonics, glissandi, key clicks, and whistle tones, to name a few. There are so many more extended techniques that are possible on the flute, but those are the most common in modern solo and orchestral repertoire.

Extended technique has benefits to improve the technique of a flautist beyond having the knowledge of these various extended techniques. For example, singing while playing and using multiphonics can help enhance the throat muscles while playing and cause relaxation when playing straight long tones. This leads to having great embouchure flexibility. In addition, it can increase control of the embouchure, air speed, and diaphragm.21 Also, pitch bending is often used when tuning the instrument and is also a frequently used extended technique, in a more exaggerated form. Just like it is important for a flautist to have knowledge of various tonguing styles, double and triple tonguing, and vibrato, it is also important to incorporate extended technique into a practice routine.

As composer Michael Daugherty states, “I am fascinated with discovering new sounds

20 “Extended Technique Music In Movement,” Music In Movement, Accessed March 7, 2019, http://musicinmovement.eu/glossary/extended-technique. 21 Christopher Leigh Davis, “Extended Techniques and Electronic Enhancements: A Study of Works by Ian Clarke” (DMA diss., University of Southern Mississippi, 2012), 6.

10 for all instruments.”22 It is the flautist’s responsibility to be ready to use any of these extended techniques at any time, and it is crucial to incorporate them into a daily practice routine.

In addition, learning extended technique can broaden a flautist’s knowledge of their instrument and how it works. As beginners, we are initially taught how to get any type of sound to come out of the flute. For myself, I was handed an empty water bottle first to practice blowing across an open surface, similar to what I would be doing when blowing across the tone hole on a flute. And this initial success of making an embouchure and creating a sound on the flute is the first level of our understanding of how the flute works. Then, as a flautist grows and improves as a musician, the levels of understanding the mechanisms and sound production of the flute improve. However, I believe that through the intense studying of learning extended technique for these two pieces, I have achieved a new level of understanding for the flute that I didn’t know would benefit my musicianship as much as it has. In addition, having a high understand of how the flute works can lead to self-discovery of how to make new sounds on the flute. The world of extended technique is collaborative and experimental, which means it is a never-ending cycle of discovering how to expand the boundaries of the instrument.

One flautist who is constantly collaborating and learning new ways to play the flute is Rachel Beetz. She is a Los Angeles based flautist and is very passionate about contemporary music and extended technique.23 Her mission for contemporary music is to create “supportive and collaborative environments for her community to make music.”24

22 Michael Daugherty, Email communication to composer, March 4, 2019. 23 Rachel Beetz, Biography, Accessed April 12, 2019, http://www.rachelbeetz.com/about. 24 Ibid.

11 Beetz is the Executive Director of the wasteland concert series and “also half of both

Plus/Minus with percussionist Dustin Donahue and of Autoduplicity, a project with cellist

Jennifer Bewerse.”25 Beetz received her Bachelor of Music from Indiana University

Jacobs School of Music and her Master of Arts and Doctor of Musical Arts for UC San

Diego. After finishing her degrees she began instructing contemporary chamber music at the Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice (SICPP) at New England

Conservatory and is Adjunct Instructor at Moorpark College.26

Along her contemporary music path, she has been invited to play with many ensembles whom share her same mission including Callithumpian Consort, International

Contemporary Ensemble, Noise, Southland Ensemble, Third Coast Percussion, and she has been featured on the Jacaranda and Monday Evening Concerts series.27 Additionally, she often works with composers in their creations of new solo and chamber work, such as

Nicholas Deyoe, Edward Hamel, Kurt Isaacson, Brian Griffeath-Loeb, Celeste Oram,

Michael Pisaro, Roger Reynolds, Scott Worthington, and Yiheng Yvonne Wu, who have all written compositions for Beetz. Lastly, as a composer, Beetz makes “sound pieces involving acute realizations of graphic materials.”28 She collaborated with visual artist,

Nichole Speciale and created the project, Script-Rescript, which was a translation project between Nichole’s mixed media drawings and Beetz sonic realizations. Her compositional work has even taken her to Iceland, where in the winter of 2015-2016, she

25 Ibid. 26 Ibid. 27 Ibid. 28 Ibid.

12 created a 30-hour work, entitled The Winter Stars. This piece is “based on sonic realizations of long exposure photographs of the night sky.”29

Beetz is constantly inspired by the challenge of music making and through overcoming the challenges of extended technique; she believes that this creates a more rewarding experience for the flautist and the audience that is listening to her performance.30 There are many different approaches a flautist can take when learning new extended technique. Beetz said this in regards to her personal approach to learning new extended technique, “I usually figure it out by trying out different approaches to playing the instrument and/or listening to other flutists and try to figure out how they are making those sounds. Once you start to learn more about how the flute works, you can usually guess at how to make a particular sound.”31 It really does improve your knowledge of the flute, and continues to expand on the various extended techniques that are possible on the flute. In addition, to expanding knowledge of the flute, it helps to improve the physical flexibilities that a flautist benefits from in non-extended technique playing as well. Beetz expresses how her knowledge of extended technique has transformed her approach to normal flute playing, and how this has changed her pedagogical approach with her students. She states:

For flutists, I would encourage everyone to consider these extended techniques more simply as sounds that can be made on the flute instead of as an extension of "normal" flute playing. In my intensive study of contemporary music, I learned more about how the flute actually worked acoustically as an instrument of sound making than in all the years of trying to play it "normally." It's not that everyone must play weird sounds, it is just another avenue for learning how the flute works. This journey has totally re-shaped how I teach. Because so much of my experimentation was focused on how my body was physically approaching the

29 Ibid. 30 Rachel Beetz, Email communication to performer, March 3, 2019. 31 Ibid.

13 instrument, that is now how I think about approaching more traditional sound making on the flute. My pedagogy aims to explain the physical processes behind flute playing.32

This approach to the flute that Dr. Beetz describes is something that I discovered through my own process of learning extended technique during my graduate program. It is not necessarily about playing weird sounds or that extended technique is not normal, it is just an additional approach to the flute that can benefit many aspects of flute playing as a whole.

32 Ibid.

14 Chapter 4: “Density 21.5”

Some may argue that Edgar Varese’s “Density 21.5” does not actually have any extended technique in the composition. However, I would argue that in 1936, the premiere of this piece opened up the compositional world to new sounds on the flute, which eventually turned into extended technique. Extended technique is any non- traditional sound created on the flute that is abnormal in timbre, range, or sound that is not within the boundaries of normal flute technique.

In 1936, Edgar Varese composed “Density 21.5” at the request of Georges

Barrere, for the premiere of his platinum flute. The density of the platinum was close to

21.5 grams per cubic centimeter, thus inspiring Varese’s composition. This piece is

“based on two melodic ideas, one modal and one atonal, and all the subsequent material is generated from these two themes.”33 He explores new areas of space and time, using register contrasts to “effect polyphonic continuity.”34

“Density 21.5” demonstrates the creativity of Varese, despite the limitations that are in play with composing for an unaccompanied melodic instrument, and the technical possibilities of the flute. From 1936 to 1993, quite a bit has changed in the extended techniques that are applied to the flute. Varese opened the door of possibilities for extended flute technique, and the composers after him took the foundation he provided and continued to explore and expand the sounds and creativity of flute repertoire.

Although there is minimal uses of compositional notation of extended technique in this piece, I argue that the “sharply articulated” note that is written above measure 24,

33 “Density 21.5, for Flute Solo | Details,” AllMusic, Accessed March 11, 2019, https://www.allmusic.com/composition/density-215-for-flute-solo-mc0002358008. 34 Ibid.

15 is a critical point in this piece where the beginning stages of extended technique are being used (Example 2). In this section, Varese wrote about the music “(sharply articulated)***”35 with a program note at the bottom of the page that states, “Notes marked + to be played softly, hitting the keys at the same time to produce a percussive effect.”36

Example 2. Measures 24 – 27 in “Density 21.5”

This is the only extended technique he uses in his composition, but Varese broke boundaries with the sound of this piece, and by using even just one small section with occasional key clicking, this began to expand what sounds were possible on the flute, through extended technique.

35 Edgard Varese, “Density 21.5,” (New York: Edgard Varese, 1946). 36 Ibid.

16 Chapter 5: Common Examples of Extended Technique

There are many different categories of extended technique that a flautist may need to tap into when performing these works. The categories are air sounds, percussive sounds, articulations, harmonic trills, singing while playing, multiphonics, microtones, glissandi, circular breathing, and electronics.37 Within these categories, some are easier to learn and more widely used by composers than others. A basic understanding of these flute extended techniques is helpful when looking at the various extended techniques

Colquhoun and Daugherty used in their pieces.

In flute repertoire, there are some extended techniques that are more common than others, and these are the most basic techniques we are asked to have knowledge of and perform. Some examples of these common extended techniques are the jet whistle, flutter tongue, multiphonics on standard fingerings, and glissandi created with fingers.38

Almost all of these common extended techniques are in Michael Colquhoun’s “Charanga for solo flute.”

A jet whistle is a technique that requires a flautist to “blow fast air through [the] flute” to produce a quick whistle sound.39 It has a peak in pitch and volume, and then decays as the air going into the flute decreases. “Lower fingerings produce [a] better result” and “adding a bit of your upper lip covering the hole” will produce “more whistle and more power!”40

37 Rachel Beetz, “Dr. Beetz Contemporary Techniques Workshop,” CSUN Flute Day (2019): 2-4. 38 Ibid, 2. 39 Ibid. 40 Ibid.

17 Under the articulations bracket, flutter tongue is the most common extended techniques in all kinds of music styles written for flute. It is created one of two ways: either by rolling your “R’s” while blowing into the flute on any note, or by gargling with the back of your throat while blowing into the flute. The flutter tongue technique adds color and intensity to any note on the flute, and it can be varied in speed and tone on the flute to be light and playful, or heavy and growl-like.

Lastly, a glissandi performed with your fingers is done by gradually opening and closing the wholes of the flute with your fingers. An open hole flute is required to perform this technique. And when not using your embouchure and rolling of the flute on the embouchure to increase the sound effect created, it has very limited range. In addition to these common examples of extended technique, there have also been physical adaptations to the flute in order to create new extended technique. For example, Robert

Dick invented the Glissando headjoint, to physically adapt the headjoint in order slide and create a glissandi effect. Extended technique allows performers and composers to constantly push the boundaries of standard instrumental practice. By doing this, it allows repertoire to grow and become more diverse, and it influences other genres of music to push instrumental boundaries in order to create new and evolving sounds.

Extended technique on the flute is not only being heard in flute repertoire, but also can be found in film scores, rock bands like Jethro Tull, jazz, and can be heard in pop music especially since it is more commonly being combined with beat boxing. The expansion of the flute as an instrument has reached more genres of music with the application of extended technique.

18 Katisse Buckingham is a Los Angeles based jazz musician whose knowledge of the flute, multiple genres, and extended technique has created huge success in his musical career. Buckingham plays tenor, alto, and soprano saxophones, flute, and alto flute, and he strives to “break down barriers between musical genres.”41 He attended the Los

Angeles County High School for the Arts, and then went on to The Grove School of

Music for college, where he studied with Rob McConnell, a multi-GRAMMY award winner. In addition, he also studied with Bill Green. Buckingham has “performed and/or recorded with Yellowjackets, Prince, Billy Childs, Dr. Dre, Herbie Hancock, Roy Ayers,

Andy Summers, Zawinul Legacy Band, Airto & Flora Purim, LA Guitar Quartet, Brian

Auger, Amos Lee, Sturnz & Farah, Snoop Dog, Colin Hay, Poncho Sanchez, Don Grusin,

Pete Yorn, and Vanessa Paradis, among many others.”42 He has played on numerous film scores, but he can most famously be heard in the “Jazz Flute” scene for the Will Ferrell film Anchorman – The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

In the flute solo heard during the “Jazz Flute” scene, extended technique is used during his improvisational solo, but is also used as an effect to match the visual components of the scene. In order to create these effects, the composer asked Katisse to play something that matched the character playing the flute, Ron Burgundy, sipping a martini up into his flute and blowing it out of his flute into a flame to create blown fire.

Buckingham stated that the composer said to him, “play something like you’re blowing fire out of the end of your flute.” There was no music given to him with musical notation written with the effect that the composer wanted, so Buckingham had to use his knowledge of the flute to create a vibrant sound to match the scene. He decided to

41 Katisse Buckingham, “Bio,” Accessed May 5, 2019. https://www.katisse.com/bio. 42 Ibid.

19 employ some extended technique to match this compositional direction and “hit a note super hard, and blow through all the overtones, just totally overblown, and that was that.”43 He additionally credits this ability in his professional life to having the knowledge of all the different kinds of colors and textures that the flute can make.

In addition to having knowledge of the most common extended techniques that appear in flute repertoire, it is also crucial to continue to explore the boundaries of flute playing because it can appear in many different areas of music. As a flautist, we are not always put in situations with composers where they have the complete knowledge of flute technique to know how to notate it in music. Sometimes, like for Katisse Buckingham, an idea is described and the flautist must have the knowledge to be able to execute sound effects beyond the normal range of flute playing. And as the flute continues to venture into other genres, it is crucial that the modern flautist is able to adapt and perform the various extended techniques that are required for these areas of music.

43 Katisse Buckingham, email communication to performer, April 28, 2019.

20 Chapter 6: “Crystal for flute, alto flute, and piano”

“Crystal for flute, alto flute, and piano” by Michael Daugherty is a “9 1/2 minute work for flute, alto flute, metal wind chimes and piano.” It is an “arrangement of

“Crystal,” the second movement of Tell My Fortune (2004) for chamber orchestra. In the composer’s words, “Crystal visits the dark world of gypsies who attempt to tell fortunes by gazing into crystal balls.”44 This piece includes a variety of extended technique, which includes: wind tones, pitch bending, keyclicks, flutter tongue, and pitch distortion through trills.

Michael Daugherty was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1954, and “is the son of a dance-band drummer and the oldest of five brothers,” who are all professional musicians.45 Daugherty studied music composition at the University of North Texas, the

Manhattan School of Music, and computer music at Pierre Boulez’s IRCAM in Paris. In

1986, he received his doctorate from Yale University where he studied with Jacob

Druckman, Earle Brown, Roger Reynolds, and Bernard Rands. Then in 1991, he began teaching composition at the university of Michigan.46 Additionally, Daugherty is a frequent guest of many “professional orchestras, wind ensembles, festivals and music conservatories around the world.”47 His music has been commissioned and premiered by many orchestras including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony

Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra in London, RAI Symphony

44 Michael Daugherty, “Crystal for flute, alto flute, and piano,” Program Notes (Hendon Music, Inc., 2006). 45 Michael Daugherty, “Short Biography,” Michael Daugherty, Composer, Accessed March 11, 2019, https://michaeldaughertycomposer.com/biography/. 46 Michael Daugherty, “Long Biography,” Michael Daugherty, Composer, Accessed May 8, 2019, https://michaeldaughertycomposer.com/long-biography/. 47 Michael Daugherty, “Short Biography,” Michael Daugherty, Composer, Accessed March 11, 2019, https://michaeldaughertycomposer.com/biography/.

21 Orchestra in Milan, and the San Francisco Symphony, to name a few. According to the

League of American Orchestras, Daugherty “has achieved international recognition as one of the ten most performed American composers of concert music.”48 The success of his orchestral music, which has been recorded by Naxos for the last twenty years, has received six GRAMMY awards, including “Best Contemporary Classical Composition in

2011 and 2017.”49

Daugherty indicates how to play these various extended techniques in “Crystal for flute, alto flute, and piano” with notes in the part as each new extended technique appears, but he also has a brief description at the top of the piece to also explain some of the more complicated extended techniques. It states:

Windtone can be produced by decaying the direct tone to niente and forming the letters F or WH with a crescendo, not SH or S. fltz = fluttertongue. Optional Metal Wind Chimes should be place between the 2 flute players, but within playing distance. Both players play entire length of the wind chimes with a subtle crawling motion from the hand. Random ringing order of the chimes is preferred.50

The four different notes he writes at the top of the music, only describe a couple of the techniques that he employs in the piece. He doesn’t begin the piece with program notes that describe all techniques used, which initially was not descriptive enough for me to understand what techniques I would be expected to use in this piece. In addition, the first sentence of this description, “Windtone can be produced by decaying the direct tone to niente and forming the letters F or WH with a crescendo, not SH or S,” is describing how the first dotted whole note in the alto flute part should be played (Example 3).

48 Ibid. 49 Ibid. 50 Michael Daugherty, “Crystal for flute, alto flute, and piano,” Program Notes (Hendon Music, Inc., 2006).

22

Example 3. Measure 1 from “Crystal for flute, alto flute, and piano”

However, what he describes does not directly correlate with what he wrote in the music nor does it clearly explain the effect Daugherty would like to be created. It would have been clearer if he had included the word “embouchure” in the description of this technique. As the performer, this was the hardest part of learning this piece because it was not clear when the switch in my embouchure should happen, and exactly when the written “direct tone” should end, and the windtone should begin. Especially since, the word niente was not written in the music.

Then, as each of the other extended techniques appear, there is a very brief description above the measure it is used in of how to play it. For example, the first time a pitch bend is indicated in measure 7 in the alto flute part, above the note with the pitch bend, he states, “bend pitch down quarter tone” (Example 4).51

51 Ibid, measure 7.

23

Example 4. Measures 6-8 from “Crystal for flute, alto flute, and piano”

Then when this same technique was used a couple measures later, the description is gone, and the word simile is used. In contrast, the first time an ascending pitch bend is used, a new description is written about the measure. This occurs in the alto flute part in measure

12, and above the pitch bend up symbol, which is the same as the pitch bend down symbol that is seen in Figure 2 in measure 7, but pointed in the opposite direction, the description above states, “bend pitch up quarter tone.”52

In measure 17, in the alto flute part, there is a new extended technique that requires key clicking (Example 5). Typically, a key click requires the flautist to cover the tone hole with their lips or tongue, and then proceed to hit the key down against the flute of the notated pitch. However, Daugherty writes, “keyclick with breath. Resultant sounding pitch will be the notated pitch.”53

Example 5. Measure 17 from “Crystal for flute, alto flute, and piano”

52 Ibid, measure 12. 53 Ibid, measure 17.

24 This was quite puzzling when I was learning this piece, because of the added instruction to the application of the breath to the key click. This was not the typical way I had learned to perform a key click prior to this piece, and required me to watch the premiere of this piece on YouTube to learn exactly what kind of sound Daugherty expected. The description notated is not how I would have typically gone about performing that extended technique and required a bit of confusion in my learning process of this piece. I had the same difficulty when learning how to make the wind tone sound he described at the beginning of this piece. Again, it was not what I expected to hear in the recording after reading his description at the beginning of this music. When I asked Michael Daugherty if he had to work with a flutist to make sure the right affect when being performed when he composed “Crystal for flute alto flute, and piano,” especially with the edition of extended techniques, he stated, “ Yes. I always work with instrumentalists to find new sounds.”54 And for this piece in particular, he worked with

Amy Porter, who is the professor of flute at the University of Michigan. Luckily, the premiere of this piece is available to watch on Youtube, which was very helpful to reference for the windtone affect, and since Daugherty worked directly with Amy Porter when writing this piece, copying her style and technique made the process easier.

However, if I had not had access to those resources, the description that Daugherty put in the piece would not be enough for me to accurately perform the intention that he had with the various extended techniques that he included.

Interestingly enough, Michael Daugherty is not a flautist. Although he has written many pieces for flute, he is a pianist. He is a world-renown composer, but when he does

54 Micahel Daugherty, Email communication to composer, March 4, 2019.

25 decide to compose new works for flute that he will incorporate extended technique, he consults other flute players and works closely with them to achieve the sound he wants.55

Through the consultation with other instrumentalists when he composes provides a clearer picture of what he would like to include in the piece, but without the innovation of technology and access to premiere recordings, generations of flutist to come, would not have a clear picture on his intention based on the brief descriptions he included in the piece. Even with the one sentence program note that is found on his website when purchasing “Crystal for flute, alto flute, and piano,” it is not a complete background story and intention of the piece that he wrote. The character and story that I created in order to perform the piece with intention, was not what I had found on his website, and the sentence he uses to describe the piece, is not included anywhere on the music or in the score of the piece. I believe with better program and performance notes, this piece would have been easier to learn and perform, when learning and performing it side by side with another piece with lots of extended technique, which is “Charanga for solo flute.”

“Charanga for solo flute” was composed by Michael Colquhoun, who is a flautist, and when comparing his piece to Daugherty’s “Crystal for flute alto flute and piano,” this provides interesting perspective and comparison in their approach to writing with extended technique and the explanation they provide in how to successfully perform these various techniques.

55 Ibid.

26 Chapter 7: “Charanga for solo flute”

Michael Colquhoun (1953-2016) is a composer and flautist who’s “compositions draw upon both the Classical and Jazz traditions, and often involve a mixture of composed and improvised elements working together to produce a coherent whole.”56 In

1993, Michael Colquhoun’s “Charanga for solo flute” was commissioned for and premiered for the NFA Young Artist and High School Soloist competition.

Michael Colquhoun was an active solo recitalist, composer, and teacher, in which he specialized in Latin, Jazz, and Contemporary Classical music. He received his Ph.D. from the State University in New York at Buffalo, where he studied with one of his biggest mentors Robert Dick, as well as Morton Feldman, Lejaren Hiller, and Leo Smit.

Colquhoun has “received commissions from New York State Council of the Arts, Meet the Composer, the National Flute Association, and the Buffalo Public Schools.”57

Additionally, his compositions have been performed by Los Caribes, the New Music

Consort, the Talking Drums, the New Jazz Orchestra of Buffalo, the Schanzer/Speach

Duo, the Burried Treasures Ensemble, the East Buffalo Media Association, and the

Maelström Percussion Ensemble.58 Colquhoun’s compositions are performed by a wide variety of ensembles because they “draw upon both the classical and jazz traditions, and often involve a mixture of composed and improvised elements working together to produce a coherent whole.”59

56 Miyazawa, Artist Interview, Miyazawa, Accessed February 26, 2019. 57 “Michael Colquhoun,” Michael Colquhoun Artists Burchfield Penney Art Center, Accessed May 8, 2019, https://www.burchfieldpenney.org/artists/artist:michael- colquhoun/. 58 Ibid. 59 Ibid.

27 A charanga is a “style of Salsa which was popular from the 1920’s through the

1970’s.”60 Salsa is a “popular Hispanic American urban dance music with deep African and Cuban roots.61 Charanga music was unique because in addition to the typical percussion section, which consisted of congas, bongos/cowbell, timbales, maracas/guiro, and clave, there was a string section and flute as the lead. “When the music was cocinado or “cooking” the percussion, piano, bass and strings would play a powerful swinging, polyrhythmic pattern over which the Charanga flutist was free to improvise complex and intricate riffs.”62 Now, while Salsa is still popular, Charanga is rare. However, the flute continues to be an important solo instrument in Latin Jazz. “Charanga for solo flute” is a

“cubist portrait of Charanga, and is dedicated to all the great Latin Charanga flutists.”63

When Michael Colquhoun composed “Charanga for solo flute,” he had been

“leading a Latin Jazz band for many years playing Cuban Charanga as well as many other latin styles.”64 Since he had experience in Jazz/Latin and Contemporary Classical music, he decided to write a piece that would be considered a modern classical piece, but would portray a Charanga ensemble. Colquhoun’s “Charanga for solo flute,” according to him,

“incorporates the sound of piano montuno, the bass tumbao, the strings and percussions as well as the flute part.”65 His passion for music and the flute was very clear in an interview that Miyazawa had with him. When asked what advice he would give an aspiring flautist, his response was “Keep your ears open! Don’t limit yourself to one narrow repertoire; you can learn from all styles and traditions. Never stop listening;

60 Michael Colquhoun, Charanga, Performance Notes, (Michael Colquhoun, 1993). 61 Ibid. 62 Ibid. 63 Ibid. 64 Miyazawa, Artist Interview, Miyazawa, Accessed February 26, 2019. 65 Ibid.

28 brilliance is all around you.”66 Colquhoun, like many other flautists that are inspired by extended technique, are always encouraging the next generation of flautists to continue to discover new techniques and noises that the flute can make. This is what will continue to push the boundaries of flute repertoire.

Now, because Michael Colquhoun is a flautist himself, I believe he has a better understanding of the explanation that is required when composing a piece that will be heavily based around extended technique. After going into detail about what a charanga is, and including various program and composer notes at the beginning of this piece, he then outlines all of the extended techniques in the piece with a number system and detailed description of how to play them (Figure 1). Beginning on the third page of the music, he prints at the top, “In Detail: (numbers refer to numbers in the score)”.67

Figure 1. Page 3 “In Detail” notes from “Charanga for solo flute”

66 Ibid. 67 Michael Colquhoun, Charanga, In Detail, (Michael Colquhoun, 1993).

29 In nine descriptions, he outlines everything the flautist will need to know in order to perform the extended techniques in the piece. In order to do this, you must look at the music, and anytime there is a new extended technique introduced, there will be a number above the measure, which then you must refer to the “In Detail” page to read about how to play this technique. For example, measure five of “Charanga for solo flute” is shown, and the first abstract extended technique is introduced (Example 6). Above this measure is a fingering, and a number one. On the “In Detail” page, the corresponding number one states, “Play this multiphonic gliss by gradually sliding your finger off the G key open hole. Keep the rim itself depressed. This will raise the pitch by approximately one quarter tone.”68 This is clearly a detailed description of exactly how to physically perform the multiphonic pitch bend that Colquhoun wrote.

Example 6. Measure 5 from “Charanga for solo flute”

Then, in measure seven, the next new extended technique is introduced. In which, the description reads, “Play this gliss and others like it by again sliding your finger off the

68 Ibid, 1.

30 G key open hole, and then sliding it back. The diamond shows the fingering to be used. In this case, the D3 sounding is played as a harmonic of the G1 fingering indicated

(Example 7).”69

Example 7. Measure 7 from “Charanga for solo flute”

Now, although this is a lot of verbiage that needs to be comprehended by the flautist, it is a much clearer description of how to play what Colquhoun is asking for in comparison to what Daugherty gave in his piece. In actuality, a detailed, lengthy description is necessary when a flautist is trying to learn unconventional techniques that any particular piece is asking for. It is much easier to pick apart Colquhoun’s descriptions for better understanding because it is very clear the affect he is asking to be performed.

His knowledge of the flute as a flautist himself, leads to in depth knowledge of the logistics of the flute and exactly what needs to happen mechanically and in the embouchure for these extended techniques to be performed. For Daugherty, I believe he

69 Ibid, 2.

31 wrote his descriptions to be general, assuming that the flautist would know what he is asking for, but for someone who has limited knowledge of performing extended techniques, and learner’s guide, which Colquhoun provides, makes the process much easier and faster.

In addition, listening to recordings of both of these pieces is very helpful to comprehend these extended techniques, but there is just so much more clarity in

Colquhoun’s description, and I believe this is because he is a flautist and can demonstrate himself how to play these extended techniques. Therefore, he was able to give a much clearer description. As the performer, I believe that I am accurately playing what

Colquhoun is asking for in “Charanga for solo flute” based on his descriptions, where

“Crystal for flute, alto flute, and piano,” I did not feel as confident in my choice of how to perform his music based off of the description given. “Crystal for flute, alto flute, and piano” took much more consulting of the recording even though in contains less extended technique, where “Charanga for solo flute” which is full of extended technique, took hardly any recording consultation when compared. There is much greater value and appreciation by the performer with pieces like Colquhoun’s “Charanga for solo flute” when the description and expectation of the composer is clearly laid out.

32 Chapter 8: Conclusion

To conclude, extended technique is a necessary technique and tool for the modern flautist to learn and can create a different learning experience depending on the instrumental background of the composer. Through my exploration of “Charanga for solo flute” and “Crystal for flute, alto flute, and piano,” I have seen first hand the kind of knowledge I needed in order to perform these pieces correctly, especially since extended technique requires so much knowledge about the mechanics of the flute to begin with.

Even when comparing “Density 21.5” to these two pieces, it is clear how far extended technique on the flute as come. In addition, performing a piece by a composer who plays the flute, made a huge difference in the learning process of the piece compared to a composer who’s first instrument is not the flute. They were both so much fun to learn and perform, but as the performer, I felt much more successful and true to the expectations of the composer in “Charanga for solo flute,” because Michael Colquhoun has first hand knowledge of how to play extended technique on flute, and that is clear when comparing these two pieces.

Extended technique has proven over time that it has grown and will continue to grow and become more prominent in standard flute repertoire. It is a crucial step in a flautist’s daily practice routine to not only be prepared for the repertoire that implements extended technique, but also to improve upon traditional flute playing and the understanding of the instrument. In addition, the background of the composer implementing these techniques does affect how the piece is understood, learned, and performed by the flautist. Although non-flautists can effectively implement extended technique into their compositions, there is a greater understanding in the approach the

33 composer is taking when they are a flautist themselves. Extended technique has shaped the professional world of music in genres beyond standard flute repertoire, expanded the variety of sounds we can create, and will continue to push the boundaries of how flute repertoire is composed and performed.

34 Works Cited

Beetz, Rachel. Personal email communication. March 3, 2019.

Beetz, Rachel. “Dr. Beetz Contemporary Techniques Workshop.” CSUN Flute Day (Spring 2019): 1-5.

“Biography.” Rachel Beetz. Accessed April 12, 2019. http://www.rachelbeetz.com/about.

“Biography.” Trevor Wye. Accessed April 29, 2019. http://www.trevorwye.com/page13a.html.

“Bio.” Katisse Buckingham. Accessed May 5, 2019. https://www.katisse.com/bio.

Buckingham, Katisse. Personal email communication. April 28, 2019.

Colquhoun, Michael. “Charanga.” Buffalo, NY: Michael Colquhoun, 1993.

“Crystal for Flute, Alto Flute and Piano (2004).” Michael Daugherty, Composer. Accessed March 9, 2019. https://michaeldaughertycomposer.com/works/small- chamber-ensemble/crystal/.

Daugherty, Michael. Personal email communication. March 4, 2019.

Daugherty, Michael. “Crystal for flute, alto flute, and piano.” Milwaukee, WI: Hendon Music, Inc., 2006.

Davis, Christopher Leigh. ”Extended Techniques and Electronic Enhancements: A Study of Works by Ian Clarke.” DMA diss., University of Southern Mississippi, 2012.

“Density 21.5, for Flute Solo | Details.” AllMusic. Accessed March 11, 2019. https://www.allmusic.com/composition/density-215-for-flute-solo- mc0002358008.

Dick, Robert. Tone Development Through Extended Techniques. New York, NY: Multiple Breath, 1986.

“Extended Technique Music In Movement.” Music In Movement. Accessed March 7, 2019. http://musicinmovement.eu/glossary/extended-technique.

“For the Contemporary Flutist.” For the Contemporary Flutist Online | Extended Flute Techniques. Accessed April 4, 2019. https://www.forthecontemporaryflutist.com/.

“Long Biography.” Michael Daugherty, Composer. Accessed May 8, 2019. https://michaeldaughertycomposer.com/long-biography/

35 “Michael Colquhoun.” Artist Interview. Miyazawa. Accessed February 26, 2019. http://www.miyazawa.com/michael-colquhoun/.

“Michael Colquhoun.” Michael Colquhoun Artists Burchfield Penney Art Center. Accessed May 8, 2019. https://www.burchfieldpenney.org/artists/artist:michael- colquhoun/.

Russel, Stacy Lee. “The Prepared Flute: A Survey of its History, Techniques, and Repertoire.” DMA diss., University of South Carolina, 2016.

“Short Biography.” Michael Daugherty, Composer. Accessed March 11, 2019. https://michaeldaughertycomposer.com/biography/.

Varese, Edgard. Density 21.5. New York: Edgard Varese, 1946.

Wye, Trevor. Practice Books for the Flute: Omnibus Edition Books 1-5. London: Novello Publishing Limited, 1999: Book 1: Tone.

36 Appendix A: Recital Program

37

38