Composition - - American Recorder Society
Five Follicules
By Anthony St. Pierre July 2021
 
A A (or other F recorders)
 
 
Follicule” is my fanciful word for a short and sweet variation on 'La Folìa,' an ancient street dance tune from Spain and Portugal. As the tune accelerated, dancers became dizzy, entering a state of folly — hence folìa. Hundreds of composers have written variations on this tune, or incorporated it within larger works. Among the most famous are Corelli, Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Liszt, and Rachmaninov. 'La Folìa' was included in the soundtrack of the 1991 film, 'Tous les matins du monde,' as well as in 'The Addams Family,' also from 1991.

These five easy variations for two alto recorders are suitable for players at the early intermediate stage of technical mastery. In recital, any or all may be played and in any order. Duration: 6’35”
-- Anthony St. Pierre
 
Also see "Four Follicules," for soprano or other C recorders.
 
Another intriguing set of Alto or Bass duos based on the Folia ground bass, with surprise harmonic twists and turns throughout. Easy to Moderate difficulty, with some rhythmic fun, lots of dynamics, and a suggested alternate fingering. The composer also provides an informational page with a brief history of the chord progression and his notes about performing each variation. Pair these duos up with his other Follicules for a fun follicular feast!
-- Glen Shannon

The composer has provided a play-along recording. Notes are included with the score.
Listen to both parts
No part 1 - you play part 1 on alto
No part 2 - you play part 2 on alto
 
 
No. of Recorder Parts:
2
Difficulty:
Easy
Occasion:
Any
Libraries:
New Music for Recorder, Play-alongs
Date Added:
08/05/2021
Style:
Social/Casual, Concert, Fast/Up-tempo, Laid-back/Slow, Tonal/Melodic, Folk/Traditional, Variations/Fantasies/Adaptations, Neo-Renaissance/Baroque/Classical, Recorded Accompaniment