Most Famous Flute Pieces

I get this question a lot with students starting out or wanting to build their musical libraries: What is the most famous flute piece? Well, that’s not as easy to answer as it might seem. At the end of the day, there’s really no data on the matter, but in my own personal research, it seems that there are two pieces that flutists and non-flutists are most familiar with.

Mozart’s Flute Concerto in G

Mozart’s Concerto in G, the first movement of course. Just about everyone is familiar with the exposition of this work, and my ears immediately perk up when I hear that familiar “dum, dum-dum dum dum” (honestly - that’s all I had to say and you knew what I was saying). It’s not an easy piece, but interestingly it was commissioned to Mozart by an amateur flute player. Since then, it’s become one of the most recognizable and classic flute pieces of our time. It’s not the easiest piece to play, but it is part of the standard repertoire, so if you’re looking to play flute on a serious level, expect to play it eventually.

Debussy’s Syrinx

Syrinx is an incredible piece that’s part of our standard repertoire, so, as with the Mozart, if you’re a serious flutist, expect to play it eventually. Syrinx is a solo piece, but it’s recognizable in and outside of the flutists circle, with its impressionistic vibe and it’s beautiful interpretation of the story of Syrinx. If you can’t tell, it’s one of my favorite pieces, and I highly recommend listening to it if you aren’t familiar (but you’ll probably recognize it the moment it begins).

Bonus: Orchestral Repertoire

There’s no way you’re unfamiliar with Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, which is hands down the most famous orchestral excerpt in our repertoire. Debussy wrote this piece as yet another tribute to the greek myth of Syrinx, which is a common theme amongst flute repertoire. It’s written as a musical interpretation of Stéphane Mallarmé’s poem “Afternoon of a Faun.” It utilizes the flute’s low register and expects a lush, but haunting. It leans heavily towards impressionistic art of the time and is an incredible exercise in breath control, tone color, and intonation. Every serious flutist will need to play this at least once, as it’s a very common audition piece in the industry.

Final Thoughts

The flute repertoire has some incredible pieces. While flute wasn’t the most written-for instrument for a long time, the range and diversity of the instrument has made it less of a sparkly bird-like instrument, and much more varied and prime element in orchestral and solo repertoire. If you haven’t played these three pieces, I highly recommend them, and truly believe you’ll be a better flutist for it.