I hope you like my most recent work for an ensemble of tenor recorders (or any identical recorders), with beautiful artwork by Becky Harris! It gives opportunities to learn some contemporary techniques, whilst (I hope) sounding like nice music as well as giving opportunity for learning about improvisation and theatrical aspects, if so wanted.
The idea for Dumuzid’s Tears first arose when looking for the earliest reference to the connection between the recorder (flute) and shepherds. The earliest surviving texts in the world were written by the Ancient Sumerians. Among their deities was Dumuzid the God of shepherds who is also presented with a flute in Ishtar’s Descent to the Netherworld, making him the earliest flute-playing shepherd that we know of in literature. The composition was inspired by a collection of lamentations for Dumuzid entitled In the Desert by the Early Grass. Related to it there is a hymn called “Lament of the flutes for Damu”, which was sung to the accompaniment of flutes every year as part of the ritual mourning of the dead Dumuzid. My composition consists of fragments of lamenting melodies that paint an aural picture of this mourning.

You can find the composition in my webshop!