The Opus 133 trios are somewhat more substantial pieces than the earlier trios (see Op. 83/V for 3 alto (treble) recorders ↣), and make a very welcome addition to the repertoire.
Opus 133 is a set of six trios for two (normal) flutes and a “patent voice flute”, an instrument pitched a fourth lower in A (and notated a fourth higher than sounding pitch).
In this arrangement of the second of the trios, the music has been tranposed from D major to G major, and set for SAT recorders. The short slow movement is pitched very low in the original and marked “sempre piano”, providing an effective contrast with the two bright outer movements. However, this deliberately low writing is more effective on flutes than recorders, so we have supplied an alterna- tive version (in the parts only) a fourth higher. In the first movement there is one passage in the soprano recorder part that has been altered to avoid a top C sharp: the original is printed in the separate part as an ossia.
(Bernard Thomas)
