The Art of Ensemble Playing

With this new edition, SYRINX VERLAG issues a completely revised version of its predecessor »Unser Muggenbuch«. The much acclaimed use of playing scores has been retained. New is the use of »compusatz« printed playing scores, and the reorganisation of the material in four volumes, whereby the pieces for three flutes appear separated from the pieces for four flutes. The material used has also been extended and now consists of 180 pieces, as opposed to 120 pieces in the first edition. The perhaps most important addition however, is the consistent use of phrase and articulation markings as used and explained in the SYRINX VERLAG publications »The art of phrasing« and »The art of articulation«.

Other than the above mentioned changes, the basic principles behind the »Muggenbücher« have been retained, namely a) to offer a collection of music for literally every conceivable occasion, without the necessity of seeking assistance from a keyboard instrument b) to make available a collection of music across the centuries from many countries in ensemble form, c) to learn to make intelligent use of all of the differing registers including the extremes of the instrument, and d) to respect differing ensemble playing standards by including pieces of varying difficulty.

The text of all pieces with vocal »roots« should be of interest both to the performer and listener, leading to a deeper understanding of the instrumental performance. With this in mind, the publisher has decided to issue two text volumes volume 5a & 5b to accompany the edition. (Richard Müller-Dombois)