If you are from Stuttgart, this instrument may be of particular interest to you. It was made by one of the few instrument makers who worked there in the nineteenth century. Johann Baptist RUDHARD was born in Engelboldshofen, near Leutkirch, in Allgäu Germany on 4 September 1788. He was a musician...
This flute was made by Clementi & Co. The company was set up by the Italian-born composer, pianist, conductor and teacher Muzio CLEMENTI (1752-1832). Born in Rome, the young composer and pianist Clementi was sponsored and brought to London by the wealthy, British writer and politician, Sir Peter Beckford. Beckford had...
This silver Boehm flute was made by the renowned Berlin-based maker Emil RITTERSHAUSEN. Carl Emil Cäsar RITTERSHAUSEN (1852-1927) worked for Boehm & Mendler before setting up his own workshop in his native Berlin. His Boehm flutes and piccolos were much in demand by professional flutists worldwide. His partnership with...
This Nonon “flûte perfectionnée” is a beauty, isn’t it? It was elaborated in deep-brown cocuswood with utmost care and precision. The silver keywork is so eye-catchingly refined, featuring delicately shaped touch-pieces throughout. It is proudly stamped with its maker’s mark on every part. Jacques NONON (1802-1877) was born into a family...
This gorgeous Wm. S. Haynes inline flute is crafted in solid silver and is also rare. Why rare? By consulting the company website, we can date this flute # 22842 to January 14, 1953. It is specified as a THM French flute. THM meant Super Thin Wall, so with...
This Viennese-style Romantic flute was not made in Austria, but in Milan, Italy by Ubaldo LUVONI (1798-1847). He was active making woodwinds, mainly flutes, but also some brasswinds in the first half of the nineteenth century. Not unlike some other makers, Ubaldo Luvoni was originally a jeweller before turning his...
This delightful piccolo in C was made by the renowned Berlin-based maker Emil RITTERSHAUSEN. Carl Emil Cäsar RITTERSHAUSEN (1852-1927) worked for Boehm & Mendler before setting up his own workshop in his native Berlin. His Boehm flutes and piccolos were much in demand by professional flutists worldwide. His partnership...
This beautiful ebony flute was completely restored. It is stamped with the marks of Carl August KLEMM (1769-1830). He was born in Plauen in Saxony, Germany. He was a university dance master. In 1806, he founded a musical instruments shop in his home town and then relocated his home and shop...
This Schwedler-style flute was made by Robert Oswald ADLER (1865-1946). ADLER is another famous surname in German woodwind instrument making. Robert Oswald was born in Hermsgrün in Vogtland, Germany. He learnt how to make woodwinds with his father Johann Gottlob Adler (1825-1900) and spent some time working in Magdeburg for...
This reform flute was made by V. KOHLERT SÖHNE. The Kohlert company was founded in 1840 by Vincenz Ferarius KOHLERT in Graslitz, now Kraslice in the Czech Republic. At the turn of the century, the company changed names to V. Kohert Söhne when Vincenz Ferarius died and was then under...
Open/closed G-sharp key
The open G-sharp key was promoted by Theobald Boehm. So, G-sharp is fingered like a G on the modern-day flute and G is fingered like the modern-day G-sharp. The open G-sharp key mechanism avoids having an additional second G-sharp tone hole, which is not optimal in acoustical terms.
The closed G-sharp key is the regular mechanism on modern day instruments as well as traditional conical wooden more-keyed flutes. G-sharp is obtained by pressing the G-sharp lever. G is produced by pressing down all four fingers of the left hand.
Theobald Boehm’s open G-sharp was not successful in the end and is no longer used in flute-making, with some exceptions.
