Description

Piccolo – Rudall Carte & Co Ltd.

This piccolo was entirely handmade in solid silver by the Rudall, Carte & Co Ltd – England’s finest flute-makers of the mid-twentieth century.  The company was set up in 1872 as successors to Rudall Rose, Carte & Co. Later in 1943-1944, it was acquired by Boosey & Hawkes. For more details on this fascinating company, we recommend reading Robert Bigio’s fine work on the subject.

This Rudall Carte & Co piccolo was made in 1935. It has all closed holes and “shut G-sharp”. Cocuswood was chosen for the body and head joint. It is a thinned-wall head joint and if we look at the photos, we can see just how the wood was expertly carved away from the lip-plate. It is lined with metal. The keywork, rings and crown tip are beautifully made in solid silver. The mechanism itself has precisely filed details which are still very sharp indeed. The piccolo comes in its original case complete with cleaning rod too!

In terms of condition, this piccolo’s original pads are no longer sealing. Two cracks on the body were previously repaired with screws. It needs an overhaul.

This delightful Rudall Carte & Co piccolo plays at a=440 Hz and would make a nice addition to every and any Rudall Carte collection.