Jonathan Cohen

Albisiphonics

Albisiphonics is a piece for bass flute and piano written for Peter Sheridan on the occasion of his acquiring an Albisiphon Baritono. This rare flute was manufactured c. 1920 and was designed by Albelardo Ernesto Albisi (1872-1938), who from 1897 was the principal flutist for La Scala in Milan, Italy. In 1910, Albisi designed a family of such instruments with varying ranges. The Albisiphon Baritono, having essentially the same range as the modern bass flute, including a B foot, is an upright instrument with a T-shaped head and a large bore. Albisiphonics celebrates all three octaves of the modern bass flute and features many of its moods: the unapologetically-romantic and lyrical, the brash with its staccato syncopations, the contemplative, the tender, the exuberant and the euphoric. Movements include: Early Morning Departure. First Star, The Unfettered Mind, Shades Make the Musician.