New works in the early 1900s showcased the flute as a strong solo instrument and highlighted the advancements made in its construction following the acceptance of the Boehm flute at the turn of the century. 4 For example, Gabriel Fauré’s Fantaisie, Op.79 (1898), Alphonse Duvernoy’s Concertino, Op.45 (1899), Louis Ganne’s Andante et Scherzo (1901), and Cécile Chaminade’s Concertino, Op.107 (1902) all contain not only technically challenging virtuosic passages, but lyrical lines that present their own difficulties as well as require musical expression and shaping. Taffanel selected composers he thought would epitomize the French style of flute playing in their pieces and hoped that these works would purify the solo flute repertoire. He stated that the composition should “contain the wherewithal to test the examinees on matters of phrasing, expression, tone control, and virtuosity.” 2 Taffanel also advised composers of newly commissioned works to write one continuous movement of contrasting sections or an Andante followed by an Allegro and to keep the pieces under six minutes in length. In order to elevate the quality of flute playing and showcase the instrument’s displays of musicality as well as technical brilliance, Taffanel championed test pieces that challenged his students. Upon his appointment as professor in 1893, Paul Taffanel sought to raise the standards of flute playing and challenge his students with new works commissioned by contemporary composers. From 1824 until the late nineteenth century, test pieces alternated between those written by flute professors Jean-Louis Tulou and Henri Altès. In the first flute concours in 1824, students performed Benoit Berbiguier’s Fifth Concerto. A majority vote for a prize from an uneven-numbered jury panel (not including the flute professor) is not only a personal achievement for a student, it can also lead to employment, including a position in the l’Orchestra de Paris as well as conductor Jules Pasdeloup’s Société des Jeunes Artistes du Conservatoire. Every June, graduating students put their years of training to the test in order to graduate from the Conservatory with the highest honors, earning either a Premier or Deuxième Prix. These compositions challenge them to attain pure tone, clean articulation, and flawless technique all within the scope of a musical interpretation. Since the establishment of the Paris Conservatory in 1795, the solos de concours have been used to test each student’s mastery of his or her instrument. 1 These works are outstanding pieces that are not performed and heard enough. These women all have received numerous prizes, been honored with awards, and have led successful careers, yet their important contribution to the flute repertoire is often underplayed. Jeanine Rueff was the next woman to compose a contest piece for the flute fifty years later, followed by Ginette Keller in 1968, Thérèse Brenet in 1974, and Betsy Jolas in 1977. The first woman commissioned to write a contest piece was the well-known French song composer Cécilé Chaminade in 1904. While the flute contest pieces at the Paris Conservatory from 1824 until the end of the twentieth century have featured a breadth of styles and unique challenges, they have predominately been composed by men.
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