Books › A descriptive catalogue of the musical instruments recently exhibited at the Royal Military Exhibition, London, 1890 …, 1891 › scan 43
Scan 43
A descriptive catalogue of the musical instruments recently exhibited at the Royal Military Exhibition, London, 1890 …, 1891
10 lines. Read by computer on 1 October 2026. Printed page 23. See the scan on archive.org.
1II.
3CLASS—FLUTES.
5Family: Transverse flutes; flûtes traversières, or German flutes, now generally known as "flutes."
7The flute of the present day has little in common with the flûte, the schwegel, the flûte droite, or the flûte-à-bec of early times, these being simply whistles, whereas the distinguishing characteristics of the modern flute, like those of its prototype the zwerchpfeiff or schweitzer-pfeiff, are the complete closing of the extreme upper end of the instrument, and the lateral mouth-hole, or embouchure. The flute of our time may be described as a tube closed at one end by a "stopper" of cork or other material (which for the last century and a half has generally been made moveable), and provided with seven or more lateral apertures. These, with the exception of that nearest to the closed end of the flute (the mouth-hole), are governed by the fingers, either directly or with the aid of "keys." The form of the mouth-hole has varied greatly at different periods and places. Oval is now the favourite shape in this country, but on the Continent an oblong, slightly rounded, is often used. In order to sound the instrument it is necessary to blow across this opening, which, being always partly open when the flute is in use, renders the tube, in an acoustical sense, open at both ends, consequently the harmonic sounds of the flute are the same as those of a stretched string, whatever, within very wide limits, the form of the bore may be. The passing of the breath directly from the lips to the edge of the mouth-hole, without the intervention of the rigid mouth-piece common to all instruments of the whistle type, gives to the skilful flute-player absolute command over the tone of his instrument.
9The bore of the early flute was invariably cylindrical throughout, or as nearly cylindrical as it could be made. At a period approaching the close of the seventeenth century the lower portion of the tube was gradually contracted in diameter so that it became conoidal, while for the upper part, or "head-joint," the original cylindrical form was retained. The advantages of the conoidal bore were so great
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