''The Division Flute'' is a collection of variations over

ground bass In music, an ostinato (; derived from the Italian word for ''stubborn'', compare English ''obstinate'') is a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, frequently in the same pitch. Well-known ostinato-based pieces inc ...

es and their melodies. ''The Division Flute'' was first published in 1706/1708 by John Walsh, senior and is based on ''The Division Violin'' by

John Playford John Playford (1623–1686) was a London bookseller, publisher, minor composer and member of the Stationers' Company. He published books on music theory, instruction books for several instruments and psalters with tunes for singing in churches. ...

. Most of the grounds are anonymous folk songs taken from different styles like the French

chaconne A chaconne ( , ; ; ; earlier English: chacony) is a type of musical composition often used as a vehicle for Variation (music), variation on a repeated short harmonic progression, often involving a fairly short repetitive bass-line (ground bass ...

or the Italian

Ostinato In music, an ostinato (; derived from the Italian word for ''stubborn'', compare English ''obstinate'') is a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, frequently in the same pitch. Well-known ostinato-based pieces inc ...

Terminology

Division

The word division basically means variation and describes the

ornamentation An ornament is something used for decoration. Ornament may also refer to: Decoration * Ornament (art), any purely decorative element in architecture and the decorative arts * Ornamental turning * Biological ornament, a characteristic of animals ...

of the melody. In the 17th century, "divisions" became bravura pieces for violinists in England. The virtuosos simply took a common folk song and improvised about it according to their abilities.

Ground bass

A ground bass is a type of

ostinato In music, an ostinato (; derived from the Italian word for ''stubborn'', compare English ''obstinate'') is a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, frequently in the same pitch. Well-known ostinato-based pieces inc ...

, which is a melodic figure repeated over and over again in the same voice. The ground bass specifically is a melodic line or harmonic pattern repeated in the bass voice. The most famous example of this is

Pachelbel's Canon Pachelbel's Canon (also known as Canon in D, P 37) is an canon (music), accompanied canon by the German Baroque music, Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel. The canon was originally scored for three violins and basso continuo and paired with a gigu ...

History

In the 17th century, music became more common for amateurs and non-professional musicians. With the elevation of music in people's everyday lives, the recorder, as an attractive, simple instrument to learn, became one of the most popular instruments. ''The Division Violin'' is a collection of the most famous of the divisions, played by the virtuosic violin players in England. John Playford published it in 1684. After the role of the recorder grew, the publisher John Walsh, senior, transcribed (or had someone else transcribe) some of the pieces for recorder and added his own selection of other divisions and published them in 1706/1708.

John Walsh

John Walsh, senior, was one of the most important music publishers and printers of his day. Born around 1665 in London he was the musical instrument-maker-in-ordinary for the king since 1692. He developed many new printing techniques and printed music for composers like

Arcangelo Corelli Arcangelo Corelli (, also , ; ; 17 February 1653 – 8 January 1713) was an List of Italian composers, Italian composer and violinist of the middle Baroque music, Baroque era. His music was key in the development of the modern genres of Sonata a ...

and

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

Book 1

Andreas Habert, ''The Division Flute'' 1 (Winterthur: Amadeus Verlag, 1987).

Book 2

External links

The Division Flute (Walsh, c. 1706)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Division Compositions for recorder Compositions for flute