INSTRUMENTS IN THE ORCHESTRA:

New Zealand Listener, Volume 17, Issue 424, 8 August 1947, Page 20

INSTRUMENTS IN THE ORCHESTRA:

(5) The Flute

THE fifth of 8 series of short articles on the instru- ments of the National Orchestra, written to help interested listeners towards a more informed apprecia- tion of orchestral music and & better understanding of the resources at the command of the conductor.

ANY instruments of the | VV | pipe variety, whether held for. playing in a yertical or horizontal position, have since very early times been included under the general heading of "flute." To-day, however, when reference is made to a flute it is generally taken to mean the Concert Flute, as shown in our illustration. Sometimes called a German Flute, Flute in D, Cross Flute, or Flauto Traverso-and it has several other names-this is the most commonly heard instrument of its kind. The origins of the flute family are lost in the mists of time, but it is reasonable to suppose that this type of instrument was one of the earliest to be invented. In principle it has changed little down the years, but whereas the fingers of the two hands were once used to close the holes and thus increase or decrease the effective length of the pipe, a system of keys and levers is now employed. Keys replaced finger-holes one by one and the bore of the pipe itself was changed from cylindrical to conical during the 17th Century. But it was not until the early 19th Century that Theobald Boehm, a Bavarian, realising that the flute as it was then had too few finger-holes to allow of accurate scales being played, but that if the number of finger-holes were increased there would be more than the player had

fingers to cope with, devised his

famous system of keys and levers which, known as the "Boehm System," is in unt versal use to-day, and is also used on such instruments as the oboe and clarinet. The conical bore was eventually abandoned in favour of the cylindrical bore. The modern flute is made in three sections, the head, body, and foot joint. It is plugged at one end with a cork or other stopper, and is open at the other, The mouthpiece, or embouchure, is s_.¢ /~ ated in the head, and the player blowe across this, not into it, the stream of air breaking against the opposite side of the hole and setting the column of air in the pipe vibrating. Different notes are produced by operating different keys on the body of the instrument, by increasing the pressure of the breath, and by such devices as double and triple tonguing. The total compass of the flute is three octaves and its tone varies from rough, subdued lower notes to brilliantly clear high notes. The foot joint is in effect an extension which allows the two lowest semitones to be produced. The flute is made of either wood or metal and the tone quality varies with the particular pe of material used, ebonite or silver ing particular favourites. Whatever the material, the instrument is classed as a member of the wood-wind section of the orchestra. The flute wae at one

time so popular ; that some orchestras had more flutes than other instruments. It is heard in many roles to-day, as a member of the orchestra, in chamber music combinations, as a solo voice, and supplying an obbligato for a vocalist. Bach, Haydn, Mozart and many other eminent composers have given it prominence in many of their works. A smaller edition of the flute is the piccolo, which is so small that, when it has been disjointed, it can be carried in the vest pocket of the player. It is played in the same manner as the con-, cert flute, but is pitched an octave higher. The piccolo has the most i /A~ sistent voice in the orch-, estra and can make itself heard no matter how loudly the other instruments are playing. The National Orchestra has three flautists, one of whom also plays the piccolo.