The Flute Solo in “Il Gardellino” by Vivaldi

Heidi Scott is an Illinois tax attorney and certified public accountant who owns a solo practice in Mt. Sterling. Before choosing to focus on law in college, she considered a career in music. An award-winning flutist, Illinois resident Heidi Scott performed as a soloist for Vivaldi’s “Il Gardellino” as part of the Northern University High Orchestra.

First published in the late 1720s or early 1730s, “Il Gardellino” contains a rather difficult flute solo. In fact, it rates an eight on the difficulty scale of the independent authority Just Flutes, which spans from zero (beginner) to nine (advanced).

With a title that translates into English as “The Goldfinch,” “Il Gardellino” features music that resembles the singing of songbirds. This is not only true of the solo flute cadenza, but also the repeated high notes and trills of the violins.

Vivaldi wrote the flute solo in “Il Gardellino” for the flauto traverso, an instrument with a long wooden cylinder and just one key at its bottom. Because the flauto traverso is significantly quieter than the modern flute, Vivaldi made sure to employ minimal scoring during the flute solo section.