Performance Guide to Louis Aubert’s Lied

by Leonard Garrison, Associate Professor of Flute, The University of Idaho

Copyright©2014 by Leonard Garrison

To view my teaching video of this piece, please visit my YouTube Channel.

French conductor, pianist, singer, critic, and composer Louis Aubert (1877-1968) studied composition at the Paris Conservatory with Gabriel Fauré. Maurice Ravel wrote Valse nobles et sentimentales for him, and he gave the first performance. He was best known for his ballets, operas, and film music.

Aubert’s Lied is available in the collection Contemporary French Recital Pieces, Vol. 1 published by the International Music Company:

The piece is rated Level E by the National Flute Association; its title is the German word for “song,” so the flutist must spin out long phrases, shape the melody according to contour and harmony, and use a beautiful, full tone with vibrato. The secret to playing long phrases is: (1) take plenty of time breathing before a long phrase rather than a quick breath at the last moment; (2) open your lips, mouth, throat, and body to inhale; and (3) use an efficient airstream and focus the tone without wasting air.

By the way, meno forte means “softer, so at meas. 28 play piano in contrast to the previous forte.

An appropriate tempo is quarter=88, moving forward at Poco animato to quarter=100, and then back to the original tempo at Tempo primo. No tempo change is marked at the ending, but take time to enjoy the E-flat and F-natural, which depart from the main key of G major. To prevent a drop in pitch during the final note, keep the air moving and keep the embouchure focused but not tense.

Good luck, or bonne chance!