Caprice No. 5 from Opus 37 by Joachim Anderson

Carl Joachim Andersen (April 29, 1847 - May 7, 1909) was a Danish flutist, conductor, composer and co-founder of the Berlin Philharmonic (Joachim_Andersen , wikipedia.com). In his later years he became a renowned teacher, and his etudes or studies for flute are still used today. His "Eighteen Studies Opus 41" is a standard set of woodwind exercises.

A caprice is a free form and lively piece of music which shows mastery of the instrument. The Caprice #5 from Opus 37 is a short and fairly simple example. This caprice is suitable for other woodwind instruments such as saxophone, clarinet, and oboe in addition to the flute. The range is within easy reach of intermediate musicians, as goes from low D to high E. The image at the top of this article is a picture of the music. Click on the image and enlarge it to play from the screen or to print out.

In classical music, it is important to keep a forward momentum while playing. That is, unless there is a written rest, if you stop at any point it should feel as if you are still being pushed forward. The difficulty for most of us amateur musicians is the necessity to breath! This is especially true when first learning a piece, when we are not up to the full speed. For instance, the first breath would not come until the second line. That is eight measures into the piece. If I have to breathe earlier, where can I grab a quick breath without losing the forward flow of the music? Most of us will take a breath after the third eighth note of measure 4. But even a quick breath there will make the flow stop. I suggest breathing after the accented first eighth note of measure 5, and the following sixteenth notes will quickly lead us onward. Try playing it both ways and you will feel the forward motion of the A to D before the breath. In the same way, an extra breath can be taken after the first A in the last measure of the second line.

Other opportunities for quick breaths can be found by looking at the dynamics. Any time that the music completes a crescendo, and before a sudden drop to a softer dynamic, is a natural breathing point. For instance, after the third eighth note in line 4 the dynamic drops to piano, a perfect place to breath before the staccato sixteenth notes carry us on. Of course, the series of slurred sixteenth notes starting at the end of line 4 and continuing almost to the end of line 6 may leave us gasping. Here we look for the few eighth notes, such as the ones in the third measure of line 5 and the second measure of line 6.

This whole composition is in the key of D. Flautists should pay attention to using the third finger of the right hand, not the second finger, to play F sharp whenever possible. It is only when the F sharp goes to or from the E that the second finger should be used. There are no accidentals at all until line six. At this point, inexperienced musicians suddenly slow down and try very hard to read all the sharps. There is a trick that helps, which is memorizing the chromatic scale. If you have memorized it, then don't try to read these notes!!! Simply play a chromatic scale starting on the F sharp (second beat of the first measure of line 6) and going right up to the D. Trying to read these notes does not add anything to the musical value of the piece, it will simply slow you down.

Finally, have fun! Play this piece until you are able to fly through it and show off a bit. When it becomes easy, then pay more attention to the dynamics. As a woodwind doubler, I play this piece on the flute, saxophone, and clarinet. Each instrument brings a different character to the piece, and it helps me to become equally facile on each of the instruments.