Description

Late-Romantic flute – Heinrich Friedrich Meyer

Can this be the ultimate late-Romantic flute? Its groundbreaking design was so influential that absolutely everyone rushed to copy it. It quickly became one of the most widely copied and celebrated flute designs in musical history – the Meyerflöte.

Listen to it playing an excerpt from Etude in c minor op.75 n° 7 by Ernesto KÖHLER (1849-1907).

This highly rare original instrument perfectly captures everything that makes a Meyer flute what it is, focusing entirely on a reliable, functional build rather than flashy looks.

Each Meyer flute features a three-part construction that goes all the way down to low B. The head joint itself incorporates a tuning slide and is made of ivory with a metal lining. Unfortunately, this construction led to cracks in the ivory head joint. It also has a nickel silver ring at the top of the middle joint to stop the wood from cracking.

The keywork is completely designed around the player, featuring ten nickel silver keys set with posts on oval bases with conical axes. It is incredibly comfortable to play even at high speed thanks to the smooth, round touchpieces, a G-sharp key angled at 45 degrees and a slightly curved F key that sits perfectly near the right ring finger.

This original Meyer flute from around 1860–1870 is a classic example of the maker’s signature style, crafted from beautiful grenadilla wood with nickel silver keys. It features quite large, straight-cut fingerholes, a 10.3 x 11.25 mm embouchure and a ten-key setup, which includes a handy second lever for B-flat operated by the right index finger.

Like almost all surviving models, its ivory head joint suffered a crack, but its previous owner had it completely restored and is now in lovely playing condition. With the tuning slide pushed all the way in, the instrument plays at just under a=440 Hz, meaning it was almost certainly built to perform at its best around the historical a=435 Hz pitch.

This powerful instrument is exceptionally easy to play, offering a beautifully mellow tone and moody, resonant low notes that make it fully capable of holding its own in an orchestra. It comes complete with its original case, which houses a grease pot with a genuine ivory lid, a spare compartment with the flute’s replacement pads and two wooden tenon protectors to keep the joints in perfect condition.

Important note

This instrument contains ivory. A certificate for the legal sale of this instrument within the European Union is supplied when purchased.

Our opinion

What makes this instrument so special is that it is a real, genuine original MEYER FLUTE. The Meyer flute was THE model used to make thousands of flutes across Germany and Europe until the Second World War. For decades, the market was full of copies and “Nach Meyer” [modelled on Meyer] lookalikes. Owning this flute means owing the real thing that started it all – not a copy, but a true piece of musical history! The perfect go-to instrument for playing Romantic music.