Celtic Duets for Flute and Accordion

This collection of folk tunes arranged for flute and accordion by Martin Tourish encompasses music from the Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish and Breton traditions. The easier of the pieces are accessible, in their basic forms, to players of Grade 4-5 level, but there’s lots in here for anyone with a love for (or just discovering) this style to explore. There are fairly extensive notes on each of the tunes and also on how to embellish and ornament the style authentically, drawing on Tourish’s doctoral research into the subject. One of the most impressive aspects of the collection, however, is the encouragement to immerse yourself in the genre and develop your own style through listening to others play—notes on the individual tunes provide a good starting point with details of some of the versions that introduced Tourish to the melodies. The flute parts have some articulation, ornaments and (very occasional) dynamics marked in but there’s a definite emphasis that instructions are “suggestive rather than prescriptive”.

The flute part remains in a convincingly folk-style low-mid range, and several tunes make the most of the bottom octave, including the beautiful Rosilin Castle. There are lots of opportunities to experiment with articulation, for example with the triplet patterns of Na Ceannabháin Bhána and The Atholl Highlanders. The accordion part seems not-too-complicated—certainly, I could replicate much of it on the piano as a non-expert pianist. Overall, this is a friendly whistle-stop tour of Celtic styles, which I think could definitely meet its aim as an introduction to “inspire you to look a little further… to embark upon your own journey.