Soaring Spirits

Soaring Spirits

Nishimura, J

From award-winning flute composer/arranger Judy Nishimura, this new book collects 20 short flute duets based on beloved spirituals and hymns.

Foreword from Nishimura: "I've always loves a good melody. From Broadway songs to pop hits to classic church hymns, it's the tune that stays in my mind and makes me happy. Traditional American spirituals, those timeless, soulful melodies, were unfortunately less familiar to me when I was growing up in Chicago. It wasn't until I started working with the good folks at Hope Publishing as an engraver that I discovered the rich musical history of the spiritual.

And what beautiful songs they are! For a long time I've wanted to create arrangements for flutes using these wonderful traditional melodies because they were so perfectly suited to the instrument's ability to project emotion. The result is my first flute book for Hope, 'Soaring Spirits - 20 Spirituals & Hymns for Two Flutes.

Flutists with intermediate to advanced skills should be comfortable playing these pieces. The melody is always passed between the two parts to give each player a chance to shine. And yes, even though I wrote these for two flutes, they should sound fine with two violins or with one flute and one violin.

I hope you and a flutist friend will enjoy playing these duets for church, musical programs, lessons, or just for fun!"