Description

Conical ring-key flute – LOT, Louis (DEBONNEETBEAU era)

This fabulous Louis LOT conical ring-key flute is a beauty – fully restored and ready to take away and play!

It was made in December 1888, after Louis LOT (1807-96) had retired and his first successor Honoré Désiré VILLETTE had literally just left the company and gone into retirement too. The maker? Louis Ernest DEBONNEETBEAU DE COUTELIER (1836-1891).  He was first workshop manager and then owner of the Louis Lot company from 1882-1889 and built the Lot silver Boehm flutes 3392 to 4750 and wooden flutes 3043 to about 3929.

Take a look at the photos. This exceptional instrument carries a distinguished pedigree. It was of course used for chamber music and has survived in wonderful condition. It is crafted using very dense, straight and fine-grained cocuswood. The colour is beautiful. The elegant, silver-plated nickel silver keys remain fabulously intact with zero-wear. It has an embouchure of 10.4 x 11.95 mm.

It comes with its original case with key, a grease pot with new grease (!) and tenon protectors. The instrument was meticulously and fully restored to peak performance by a master woodwind maker and restorer in Germany. It plays at a=438 Hz.

Hear it playing Johannès DONJON (1839-1912) “Le chant du vent” from “8 Etudes de Salon” (ca. 1880).

Our opinion

This is unquestionably one of the finest conical, ring-keyed flutes by Louis Lot we have ever come across, and it sounds absolutely magnificent.