The Eleven Chorale Preludes were the last works composed by Johannes Brahms. They were composed in the summer of 1896 after the death of his dear friend, Clara Schumann. The beauty of this particular chorale prelude, Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming, is not lost on audiences, as it is the best known of the eleven. From a compositional view the work has been described in program notes by Scott Foglesong as “richly chromatic, and improvisatory” and “while floridly elaborate never masked the dignified simplicity of the original melody.“ The flute choir adaptation of this work is expanded from the choral prelude format. The choral prelude as composed by Brahms is stated twice. Between the first and second stanzas of the chorale is the original setting of the carol.

Instrumentation:

• 2 Alto Flutes
• Bass Flute
• Contrabass Flute/Contralto Flute