The Music for Flute and Piano of Francisco Mignone

Although nowadays audiences generally associate Francisco Mignone with his nationalistic piano music, his output is highly diversified, ranging from symphonic works and opera to songs and chamber music in various aesthetics tendencies.

 

The flute music of Francisco Mignone is a repertoire still under-explored by flute players. These works contained a huge variety of styles, forms, genres and musical intentions, from the most elaborate and profound pieces to the lighter and more graceful ones. His music has lush melodies and vibrant rhythms, full of vitality. The writing for the instrument is idiomatic and includes great romantic virtuoso passages combined with elements of Brazilian popular music. Mignone, a well-trained composer, who really knew his métier, writes for flute always taking in advance of its best qualities, as well as the other instruments involved in this repertoire, justifying his reputation of a good orchestrator. His predilection for flute certainly demonstrates the influence of his father, Alfério Mignone, but also points to the closeness of the composer to Brazilian popular music.

Francisco Mignone wrote more than thirty works for chamber music, from duets to sextets, among original and transcriptions that include the flute.

 

Alferio Mignone and his wooden flute, 1945.

 

This anthology of scores presents part of this repertoire, especially the works for flute and piano, and includes, following the composer’s procedures, some transcriptions of his music, elaborated especially for this publication. Therefore, thirteen works are presented here, in their great part for the first time in printing. Six works are presented here with a version of the piano part transcribed for the guitar in an attempt to amplify performance and spread possibilities.

 

The anthology

The anthology presented here is a result of the research project conducted at Instituto Villa-Lobos/UNIRIO with the indispensable funding by FAPERJ, through its 2012 Program of Support for the Arts.

 

Francisco and Alferio Mignone at Rádio Gazeta, 1957.

 

The editing work counted with the valuable contribution of Lucia Barrenechea and Clayton Vetromilla. This artistic product possesses the didactic intention to rescue this relevant literature for the flute by Francisco Mignone, thus trying to contribute to its spread among the general public and musicians interested in its performance. It is hoped that this book has offered an insight into Mignone’s music for flute and helped to foster some of this varied and yet under-attended segment of the twentieth century music for flute.

 

The triple CD “The Flute Music of Francisco Mignone”, released in 2010, contains the repertoire presented in this collection recorded by Duo Barrenchea and guest musicians.

Download the ERRATA for pages 48, 66, 67 and 123 on the piano part.

 

Edited works by Francisco Mignone:

Três Peças

I. No fundo de meu quintal (1945) II. Lenda Sertaneja nº 8 (1940) III. Cucumbizinho (1931)

 

Sonata para flauta e piano (1962)

I. No fundo de meu quintal (1945) II. Lenda Sertaneja nº 8 (1940) III. Cucumbizinho (1931)

 

Cantiga de ninar(1925)

Passarinho está cantando (1952)

Modinha (1939)

 

Suíte para flauta e piano (1949)

I. No fundo de meu quintal (1945) II. Lenda Sertaneja nº 8 (1940)
III. Cucumbizinho (1931) IV. Cucumbizinho (1931) V. Cucumbizinho (1931)

 

Céo do Rio Claro

Assim Dança Nhá Cotinha

Celeste (1923)

2ª Valsa de Esquina (1938)

7ª Valsa de Esquina (1940)

10ª Valsa de Esquina (1938)

Valsa Choro para flauta e piano (1956)