Henri Tomasi

3 Pastorales

French composer and conductor, Henri Tomasi (1901-1971) published Three Pastorales for Flute Trio in 1964. As with his other wind compositions, Three Pastorales was well-received by audiences. Tomasi was born in Marseille, buthis Father and Mother were originally from La Casinca in Corsica. Despite being pressured in to musical studies by his parents, Tomasi dreamed of becoming a sailor, and during the summer, he stayed with his Grandmother in Corsicawhere he learnt traditional Corsican songs. However, in 1921, he began his studies at the Paris Conservatoire and went on to become a high profile composer and conductor. Tomasi did not forget his Corsican routes, oftenincorporating themes of the songs he had learned during the summers with his Grandmother in to his compositions. The Three Pastorales are named - 1) Bolivian, 2) Cretan, and 3) Sicilienne. This Tomasi piece is suitable to anadvanced Flute Trio, providing an exciting alternative addition to the ensemble repertoire.