Notes on an Open G Flute down to B

Author(s): Edgar Hunt

Reviewed work(s):
Source: The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 41 (Oct., 1988), p. 102
Published by: Galpin Society
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/842712 .
Accessed: 15/09/2012 06:09
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Galpin Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Galpin Society
Journal.

http://www.jstor.org

Notes

and

Queries

NOTES ON AN OPEN G# FLUTE DOWN TO Bb

This instrument (Pl. XVIII) is virtually a standardBoehm flute with
open G# and Briccialdithumb levers. The head and body are of brown
ebonite, but the foot joint with the closed d4# and open keys for d4b,C4,
b3 and b3b is metal.
The player'sright-handlittle finger is thoroughlyover-worked, with
six touches under its control in addition to the d4# key (A). Their
arrangementis as follows: d4bis closed by B, then c4, b3 and b3bare
closed by the rollers C, D and E respectively, each one holding down
the othersas one slides down. If your little finger stretchesfurtherthere
are knobs F and G which duplicate C and D respectively.B and C are
also duplicatedby touches H and I which are operatedby the player's
left-hand little finger, through a connecting rod and sleeve the ends of
which press on their respective key levers.
But this is an open G# flute; so how can the left-hand little finger be
freed to operate H and I. That has not been forgotten: the player slides
the second and thirdfingersof his left handdown to the lever (J)and the
thickening(K) halfway down the G# lever, two fingersservingto close
three holes. It is doubtfulwhether the long-distancekeys H and I would
be strongenough to close the d4band c4holes effectively; but they could
hold them down once the right hand little finger had closed them,
leaving the right-handlittle finger free to manipulatethe keys (rollers)
D and E.
The body joint is stamped:
RUDALL
CARTE& CO
23 BERNERSSTREET
OXFORDSTREET
LONDON
818
with the crown, firm'sname and LONDON on the headjoint. There is
no maker'smark on the foot joint. There are the usual d5 and d5# trill
keys; but the little lever for the right-handfirst finger gives a trill on Bl
(aswas usualon RudallCarte flutes), not the Bb which crept in from the
continent.
EDGAR

102

HUNT

;"

ni

:?r
::I

-?:?:
:-i;:::

;a:

,i:r:::
:i::~:
!i~Eii
i;~i~j
.I:::.::

Photo: EdgarHunt
,:B

PLATE XVIII

Open G# Boehmflute downto Bb.