More models - About the originals

In addition to my most common models, I make instruments in the style of all these famous originals.  The value in parenthesis is the size of the fourth finger hole, a useful single-point indicator for how powerful the flute is.

• R.S. Pratten's Perfected (10.7mm), after a flute by Boosey & Co, London. I picked up the original (No 8626) in a Sydney antique shop in 1972 for $25. This flute has the largest holes and has become a legend among flute players for its big tone. The six finger holes are all on the central section, which is longer than usual, permitting the g# key (when fitted) to be ideally placed.  The single piece body does not permit the fine adjustment to rotation between the left and right hand which the extra body section of other flutes would allow.
  
• Siccama (10.6mm).  This is the predecessor to the Pratten's Perfected and has two extra keys, to enable the holes to be moved to acoustically better positions.  Such a flute enables players with small or damaged hands to play the most powerful flute available.
   
• Rudall & Rose, large holed (10.5mm), after a flute by these most prestigious makers, London, circa 1830.  The original (No 655) was in boxwood and had pewter plugs, instead of leather pads, on each of the eight keys.  It can be seen at the Bate collection in Oxford (Bate No 132).  This flute had large holes and consequently a very strong tone.
   
• Rudall, Carte & Co, large holed (10.4mm).  Carte joined the Rudall & Rose company in 1850; it was later renamed Rudall, Carte and Co after Rose's death.  This flute is very late for an 8 key, coming a full fifty years after Boehm released his cylindrical flute and seventy six years after the start of the company.
  
  The original is No 7174, now in the hands of Ms Alex Offord, an Irish flute player in Canberra (see Southerly Breeze CD).  The company's records remember it as: 21 July, 1896. Cocus, conical, 8 G.S. [German silver] keys, knobs [i.e. block-mounted, not pillar-mounted]. Made by Holland [one of RC's employees]. Sold 20 August, 1896 to R. Littlewood of Huddersfield. [no prices recorded].  Being so late, we can reasonably assume it has incorporated all the improvements made by the company over the previous 76 years.  This is a particularly vibrant, large hole 8-key flute.

  (For those seeking a Rudall based large-holed instrument, I would recommend my "Rudall Perfected" model.  This is based on the best features of the two instruments above, plus rather a lot of my own new work.  This is a slender, elegant, powerful, responsive instrument with great tone and excellent tuning.)

• Rudall Refined (9.5mm), after a flute in the collection at Edinburgh University, dating around 1845.  The original, No 5047, had small holes, probably to satisfy those who prized uniformity of tone over all other factors.  Like most of the flutes from the period, however, tuning was an issue.  I have reworked the design to correct the tuning and release the full potential of the bore while retaining the Rudall & Rose sweetness and authority.  It now has medium sized holes making it a very easy and rewarding instrument to play.
  
  (For more on Rudall, Rose, Carte et al., see my Rudall, Rose or Carte Models Study)
   
• Metzler (conical) (10mm), another fine London maker. This is a beautifully designed instrument with large holes and a good tone. The original is in my own collection and features very finely hand-engraved silver bands at each joint and silver keys. 
  

• "B&S" Improved, London (9mm). After a flute by unknown London makers around 1830. Its medium sized holes offer a good compromise between ease of playing and available volume of sound. I purchased the original in London in 1974. The original features very clean workmanship and wide bands, with keys and bands of nickel silver.
  

• Nöe Frères (8mm), after a flute by these brothers who worked in Paris. With small finger holes it has a sweet and quiet tone. Very easy to play, it suits the beginner or occasional player. The original of this instrument spent several years in Canberra before being resold through a London sale room.
  

• Metzler cylindrical (10.9mm), after a flute by Metzler with the new Boehm system bore but the old 8-key fingering pattern. A copy of this transitional instrument might suit the player who is accustomed to the open feel of the modern flute but wants a wooden flute for the more appropriate sound, fingering patterns and appearance.

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