Composing a Romantic Style Flute Sonatina

For my scholar's project, I am composing a Romantic style sonatina for flute and piano. As a performer on clarinet and piano, I have experienced a wide range of music styles, but have a special appreciation for music of the mid to late 1800s. I have chosen to compose in this "romantic" style in order to better understand the rich and complex harmonies, orchestration colors, and new approaches to instrumental roles that this music provides. In preparation for my own work in composition, with the help of my advisor I have explored and analyzed orchestral and chamber music of Mendelssohn, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saëns, Grieg, Rachmaninoff, and Poulenc, focusing on harmony, melody, orchestration, form, and expression. Developing tools and strategies that I can use in my own work, I have challenged myself to create melodies of various characters, filter them through the particular idiosyncrasies of the two instruments, and blend them into the harmonic and formal fabric of the piece. Professional musicians will be on campus later in May to record my composition. By the end of the project I hope to complete a three-movement sonatina. The purpose of today's presentation is to provide a glimpse into my compositional process.