While there are many Mexican Classical flute works, few are known within the United States and almost none would be considered part of the Western flute canon. The Mexican solo flute repertoire did not truly begin growing until 1960, when Blas Galindo wrote specifically for the flute in his Concierto para Flauta y Orquesta. Since that time, numerous Mexican composers have added brilliant and compelling works to the flute repertoire. However, only one work for flute and piano by a Mexican composer has really garnered any attention within the Western flute canon--Samuel Zyman's Sonata for Flute and Piano (1993).

This study will explore Mexico's musical history, focusing on those works written for flute during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, many of which remain unpublished and largely unknown. The composers discussed include Manuel Ponce, Carlos Chavez, Blas Galindo, Silvestre Revueltas, José Pablo Moncayo, Julián Carillo, Samuel Zyman, Arturo Márquez, Mario Lavista, and Eduardo Angulo. Roberto Peña's Concierto para Flauta y Orquesta (2008), an unpublished work yet a sparkling addition to the repertoire, will be placed against this larger history with specific attention to its unique performing practice issues, such as: articulation, technique, breath control and the flute's interaction with the orchestra. Other recent compositions by Peña are also brought to light, in addition to selected works by some of the composers listed above, in hopes of contributing to a greater exposure and recognition of Mexican flute music within the Western flute community.