Not-Pooh Songs by Tom Schnauber

SOMERVILLE, Mass. - April 3, 2023 - PRLog -- Noteworthy Sheet Music, LLC (NSM) is an online sheet music publisher, specializing in but not limited to flute and alto flute music, with a catalog of over 200 editions. They offer original works by distinguished contemporary composers, re-notated versions or facsimiles of rare historical scores, and unique transcriptions and arrangements of pieces from the classical repertoire. Selected NSM publications are offered as professionally-printed hard copy editions, while most are available as convenient PDF downloads from the NSM website.

Tom Schnauber's Not-Pooh Songs are absolutely delightful.  The composer has set to music six children's poems by A. A. Milne, four from When We Were Very Very Young ("The Alchemist", "The Mirror", "The Four Friends", and "If I Were King") and two from Now We Are Six ("The Charcoal Burner" and "The Engineer").  The work is offered by Noteworthy Sheet Music, LLC in two publications, one for female voice and flute, the other for female voice and oboe.  The oboe line is sufficiently different from the flute line in terms of register to warrant it being published as a separate edition (i.e., the flute version makes use of that instrument's wider range by putting some material in higher octaves).  Also, the flute edition includes an alternate variation of "The Mirror" for voice and alto flute, whereas the oboe edition includes an alternate variation of "The Mirror" for voice and English horn.

It's clear from hearing this music that Schnauber gets a real kick out of Milne's poetry.  The flute/oboe comments, echoes, etc. go with or against the voice line very effectively and entertainingly.  These songs will have broad appeal to both players and audiences, and there's a lot that a pair of performers could do with them.  The music isn't easy, but provides just the sort of challenges that the adventuresome player loves; in places, for example, the flute jumps from C7 to C4, plays multiphonics, and executes finger snaps.  But, as the composer has pointed out, just because the music is somewhat demanding doesn't mean that it should be presented seriously in performance; on the contrary, players should have fun with these pieces and convey the intended joy and playfulness of the work.  To view preview pages of the scores and access a recording of Not-Pooh Songs performed by Mitsi Westra, voice, and Pamela French, oboe, visit the listing page on the Noteworthy Sheet Music website at https://noteworthysheetmusic.com/score-descriptions/59-voice/944-schnauber-not-pooh-songs-voice-and-flute-or-voice-and-oboe.