Which came first, the flute or the player?
Exploring the history of the flute, an important collection, and a new recording
One of the most fascinating aspects of early music is the relationship between music and musical instruments. Just as in the world of science, politics, etc., the period in music from the end of the medieval era through the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution to early modern Europe witnessed immense change.
Two Studies of a Flutist and a Study of the Head of a Boy — Jean Antoine Watteau (1716-17)
Broadly, the currents of change in music, as driven by these other major changes in Western civilisation, were:
The elevation of the composer’s status in society, developing from working class minstrel and indentured servant to middle class craftsman or artisan, and ultimately to entrepreneur and impresario;
The printing press and the commercialisation of music, leading to the rise of private customers and relative decline of patronage from the church and nobility; and
The development of instruments themselves, from one-off, bespoke, hand-made, often quite simple objects to the mass-produced, precision-engineered and, above all, standardised instruments more familiar to us today.
In this post we reflect on the third point, and one instrument in particular that epitomises this period of rapid change: the flute.
Whence the flute?
The flute is the oldest of the woodwind instruments, originating in China around 900BC (or possibly earlier). These early flutes were played in two ways - vertically (like a recorder) or horizontally, in what is called the transverse position. These “transverse flutes” arrived in Europe via the Byzantine Empire in the early centuries AD, and became very popular. They took root particularly strongly in Germany - to the extent that it became known as the “German flute”.
Transverse flutes were widely used in courtly music from 1100, and also (thanks to its portability, durability, and potential for a piercing tone capable of carrying great distances) in military signalling and in marching (possibly to sustain soldiers’ morale over long, tiring marches). And during the Renaissance, it became fashionable for amateur musicians to gather at home and play together in what was known as “consort music”, in which the flute was popular and vital; plucked and bowed instruments were introduced later.
During the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, Italian and Dutch makers experimented with the flute's bore size and divided it into three sections for easier travel. The flute attracted many fans, not least Louis XIV, as it could produce deep, mellow, and sweet tones as well as being capable of carrying over lutes, harpsichord, and strings. Eventually, the instrument had additional holes added to extend its range, and in the 18th century, London makers began adding keys and a conical bore taper to improve tuning stability.
Further refinements took place in the 19th century, and a new design emerged - that of Theobald Boehm of Bavaria (with a key design using complex interlocked rods enabling even faster and more accurate playing). The Boehm became the template for the flute of today - with the most recent modification to the instrument being the introduction of the “Cooper Scale” in the 1960s, more accurately determining hole positions to standardise the pitch at A=440Hz.
In short, therefore, there have been many designs of transverse flute on the road to the modern incarnation of the instrument. What if one could bring all these flutes together in one place? Well, someone clearly had to: enter the collector Peter Spohr, of Frankfurt-am-Main.
A wonderful collection
The sheer variety of instruments and makers over these centuries caught Peter Spohr’s imagination, and his large collection of historical flutes is one of the most important in the world. An engineer by background, Spohr keeps the instruments in optimal atmospheric conditions, and has designed a range of equipment to examine them in detail - measuring bores, tapers, and even using an endoscope to capture images of the insides of his flutes.
Spohr’s wonderful instruments have been made audible to the public through an ongoing collaboration with flute and recorder player Ashley Solomon. Solomon is Professor of Recorder and Head of Historical Performance at the Royal College of Music, and co-founder and director of baroque ensemble Florilegium. Among many celebrated recordings, he has created a multi-volume set exploring the Spohr collection. Solomon commented:
“The collection includes some of the finest examples of playable baroque flutes anywhere in the world, and while many are fragile, extremely delicate and temperamental, there is almost nothing in life as viscerally exciting, as appealing to the intellect and to the senses, as playing on outstanding historical instruments.”
We are able to hear the story of the flute’s development through these recordings, as told by Solomon and Florilegium, featuring flutes that are being heard in public for the first time (in some cases) in centuries. The Spohr Collection, Vol. 3, supported by a Continuo Foundation grant, explores repertoire from Italy, Germany, and England (featuring Vivaldi, Mozart, Clagget, Locatelli, and others) on nine different flutes from Spohr’s collection. The exquisite instruments (ranging from solid ivory, to ebony and ivory, to boxwood and ivory) are matched historically and geographically to the music, making this recording and the previous volumes truly remarkable audible histories - and highly recommended!
![The Spohr Collection, Vols 1-3 (Ashley Solomon and Florilegium)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe582d46-fd3c-4c64-b6ab-236b7d466ed9_500x500.jpeg)
![The Spohr Collection, Vols 1-3 (Ashley Solomon and Florilegium)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3ef52a4c-26fa-4305-bc90-029bc65d79a2_500x500.jpeg)
![The Spohr Collection, Vols 1-3 (Ashley Solomon and Florilegium)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd06d63fc-73c4-4ddb-b876-d398201fab0d_500x500.jpeg)
The flute, live!
If I’ve whetted your appetite for live flute music, there are - as always! - a wide variety of interesting concerts to attend across the UK listed on Continuo Connect. Artists of The English Concert offer “The German Flute” (and having read this, you’ll know exactly what that is) on 13th May at Handel Hendrix House. Exploring 500 years of music, Flutes & Frets Duo present “To Make a Long Story Short” on 17th May in Clapham and 25th May in Dorchester, and on tour through the summer. For a different take on music as performed in the salons of the 19th century, Pocket Sinfonia’s “The Symphony Reimagined” features transcriptions of Mozart and Haydn symphonies by Hummel and Clementi (along with CPE Bach’s A minor Flute Quartet), performed on flute, fortepiano, violin, and cello - Ilminster on 17th May and Crewkerne on 18th May. And if you can wait that long (but it will absolutely be worth the wait!) you can hear Ashley Solomon with Florilegium on 7th July at the York Early Music Festival in “Le Roi s’amuse”, exploring music known to both Louis XIV and Louis XV, in particular that of flute pioneer Jacques-Martin Hotteterre.
Meanwhile, do have a listen to our May playlist, curated by my colleague Kirsten Fehring, and full of the joys of spring: Ecco la Primavera.
Until the next time -
Tim & the Continuo Connect team
Catch up on recent posts and browse more on our Continuo Connect substack page…