Frietjes (pronounced “freet-chiss”) was composed in 2013 for the Dutch-language recorder magazine Blokfluitist. The title is one of the various regional Dutch names for what are usually called French fries in the US, available in paper cones with tasty condiments from street vendors everywhere in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Performance notes: The opening three measures introduce the main 1’s – 2’s – 3’s – 4’s rhythmic pattern found throughout the piece, and also show that all four mainstream sizes of recorder have at least one pitch in common. Their tone qualities will be different on each instrument, but the style of playing, note length, articulation, etc. should be as uniform as possible among the four players.

Repeated notes should be played short, such as the 8th-notes, triplets and 16th-notes in measures 2 and 3 (staccato dots are on the 8ths as a reminder), and stepwise melodic lines should be legato. In special places such as measures 38, 40, 70 and 71 I have put both staccato and tenuto (long) marks to indicate the important contrast of short and long notes. The tenuto marks only indicate a full-value note, not any sort of accent, rubato or slowing of the tempo. Breath marks indicate a separation of phrases, and slur markings keep notes together. Slurs over dotted figures are there as a reminder to play the full duration of the dotted notes and join them to the next note. When a dotted figure is to be played separated, such as in the little march at measures 4 and 5, a 16th-rest appears in place of the dot. Resist the urge to turn those figures into triplets.