The History of the Boehm Flute and Proper Understanding: Learning the…

SUMMARY

Key takeaways

By understanding the history of the flute, you can properly recognize the differences between the characteristics of instruments from the eras of Mozart and Bach and the modern Boehm flute
The transition from the traverso to the Boehm flute improved pitch uniformity and volume, but at the same time, certain tonal colors and expressive range were lost
In works by Mozart and Gluck, it is important to handle notes that do not naturally fall on the instrument's scale appropriately — simply blasting them out on a modern instrument does not do the music justice
The advent of the Boehm flute led composers such as Debussy and Ravel to write pieces specifically for the new flute, expanding the possibilities of the modern flute
By studying the history of the flute, you can understand the importance of producing colorful tones and carefully varying the tonal quality of each individual note in the chromatic scale

When studying the flute, the history of this instrument is indispensable. First, we must question when this instrument was developed and whether this is truly a flute in the original sense. This instrument is called the Boehm flute — it is made entirely of metal with large tone holes. It appeared around the latter half of the 1800s and spread dramatically in the early 1900s. Knowing this, we must question whether it is appropriate to play Mozart or Bach simply letting this instrument ring out as it naturally does. Understanding the history of the flute is a crucial element that leads to a proper understanding of performance.

Key Point on Form

The flute was originally just a tube. Holes were bored vertically into this tube, and an embouchure hole was made for blowing air — and that is how the instrument was constructed. Even in Mozart's era, it was essentially the same; today it is called the flauto traverso, and it emerged in roughly that form. A key characteristic was that when you simply lifted your fingers in sequence, the natural scale produced was D major. Think about it: the well-known Mozart Flute Concerto is in D major. In other words, Mozart knew very well that this key was the easiest to play on the flute, and he wrote the concerto in that key. The same goes for Bach — if a key was very difficult to play, Bach would not have chosen it. It is important to keep in mind that composers of that era wrote their music with a thorough understanding of the instrument's characteristics.

🔒

Members only beyond this point

Full article, examples, and practice steps after this heading are for paid members. Sign up or log in to unlock the rest.

ログインして続きを読む

The Essence of Performance as Seen Through the History of the Flute

Step 1: Study the history of the flute. Understand the transition from the traverso to the Boehm flute and grasp the characteristics of instruments from each era. Understand that the Boehm flute appeared in the latter half of the 1800s and spread dramatically in the early 1900s.
Step 2: Understand the characteristics of instruments from the eras of Mozart and Bach. On the traverso, simply lifting the fingers in sequence produced a D major scale, and producing chromatic notes required irregular fingerings. Composers of the time wrote their music with an understanding of these characteristics.
Step 3: Understand the considerations for performing classical works on modern instruments. When playing Mozart, Bach, or Gluck, it is not appropriate to blast out notes that do not naturally fall on the instrument's original scale. For example, the F natural at the beginning of Gluck's "Dance of the Blessed Spirits" should not be played loudly and fully; rather, by beginning from a soft, hollow place, the music comes to life.
Step 4: Understand the changes brought about by the advent of the Boehm flute. From the latter half of the 1800s to the early 1900s, the flute's intonation improved dramatically and its volume increased. As a result, composers such as Debussy and Ravel began writing pieces specifically for the new flute.
Step 5: Understand the possibilities of the modern flute. The modern flute is an instrument where the embouchure is free — nothing is inserted into the mouth, and there is no elaborate mechanism like a piano's. Anything the embouchure can do becomes a musical technique, and an enormous variety of extended techniques have emerged. In modern and contemporary music, the flute is an extremely popular instrument, and it is used with considerable frequency in small chamber ensembles.
Step 6: Be conscious of producing colorful tones. Simply continuing to produce notes with correct intonation as the mechanical apparatus of the flute naturally allows does not complete the music. What matters is how to produce tones rich in color, and how to carefully vary the tonal quality of each individual note in the chromatic scale.
Step 7: Actively pursue academic study as well. Beyond the history of the flute, studying the history of music, the history of other instruments, the history of orchestral instrumentation, the history of Europe, and Western history in general may provide information that you can feed back into your own performance.

Studying the history of the flute leads to a proper understanding of performance. While the transition from the traverso to the Boehm flute improved pitch uniformity and volume, certain tonal colors and expressive range were also lost. In works by Mozart and Gluck, it is important to handle notes that do not naturally fall on the instrument's original scale appropriately — simply blasting them out on a modern instrument does not do the music justice. The advent of the Boehm flute led composers such as Debussy and Ravel to write pieces specifically for the new flute, expanding the possibilities of the modern flute. However, simply continuing to produce notes with correct intonation as the mechanical apparatus of the flute naturally allows does not complete the music. What matters is how to produce tones rich in color, and how to carefully vary the tonal quality of each individual note in the chromatic scale. By studying the history of the flute, you can understand the essence of performance and achieve deeper expression.