The Pipes Of Pan, opus 233, for Flute Orchestra

Michael Kibbe

A single flute announces the piece with a brief cadenza that acts as the basis for much of the following musical development.

When composing this piece I tried to keep in mind an image of multiple flutists and wood nymphs (worshipers of the god Pan?) meeting in the forest for both thoughtful communion and festive dancing.

And so “The Pipes Of Pan” alternates between slow contemplative passages and more rapid, dance-like sections. Part-way into the allegro (letter E) the low flutes create a chromatic underpinning for the group; like the unsettled whistling of a stormy wind.

As in most of my music, I try to ensure that each player has a sense of “purpose” for being there. It is not only the principle flute that has solo passages; important lines exist also for the secondary flutes, the piccolo and the low flutes.

This is a digital version of the piece that you can download as a PDF and print.