Having concluded his review of the Native American flute’s traditional sounds, he regaled the audience with selections from Puccini’s operas, Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde,” and even transitioned into modern film scores by playing the main theme from “The Godfather” - “The Godfather Waltz” by Nina Rota. This careful study of the instrument’s capabilities has allowed Pellerite to perform unexpected and delightful pieces with the flute.
He demonstrated to attendees the various ways in which he has extracted a full range of tones and notes from the instrument. “The instrument was not built to be played in a modern manner.”īut that fact has not stopped Pellerite from harnessing the Native American flute’s full potential.
There’s no notion of reading disciplined music as such,” Pellerite said.
“Each player has his own concept of how to play the instruments - they’re constantly improvising. To demonstrate the Native American flute in its traditional musical setting, Pellerite performed a Lakota rain dance that utilized only the flute’s five primary tones. “The sound of the Native American flute is so spiritually exultant that it resonates within the inspirational beauties of the American West.” “Here was somebody who had classical influence all his life who met an instrument that really was nothing except beautiful tradition from an ethnic source,” he said. Pellerite described the process of falling in love with the Native American flute during a visit to Albuquerque, New Mexico, as an intersection of musical worldviews. The chapel’s close setting and acoustics created a haunting atmosphere for the instrument’s unique tones. On Thursday evening, Pellerite presented a lecture and recital on the Native American flute and its potential role as a classical instrument in the chapel of the Wren Building. In a series of lectures and performances at William & Mary last week, Pellerite demonstrated his vision for the Native American flute culminating in a Friday performance of Michael Mauldin’s “Dream of the Child of Light,” and the world premiere of James Aikman’s “Ania’s Song” alongside the William & Mary Symphony Orchestra in Phi Beta Kappa Hall. But to James Pellerite, former principal flutist of the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, the Native American flute has potential beyond its Western origins - it can be a classical instrument at home in an orchestra. The Native American flute’s wistful tones evoke images of moonlit nights on the western plains and remind a listener of the musician’s spiritual connection to his world.