Books › A descriptive catalogue of the musical instruments recently exhibited at the Royal Military Exhibition, London, 1890 …, 1891 › scan 55
Scan 55
A descriptive catalogue of the musical instruments recently exhibited at the Royal Military Exhibition, London, 1890 …, 1891
16 lines. Read by computer on 1 October 2026. Printed page 35. See the scan on archive.org.
1oval exterior. There is the usual screw-stopper, but no tuning slide. In addition to the four ordinary closed keys, for d♯, f♯, g♯, and b♭, there are open keys for the e and c''♯ holes, for the purpose of reducing the stretch of the fingers. The keys have the original pads, which are covered with leather, and are probably stuffed with sponge according to the terms of the specification.
3"A thin skin, stretched over a large opening at the side, almost opposite to the c''♯ hole, imparts a reedy tone. No mention is made of this in the specification of patent, but it is known that some old flutes were thus made, in order to give a sympathetic tone somewhat like that of the hautboy, hence the name, voice flute."—F. W. G.
5By Wigley and McGregor, 151, Strand. Date on cap, 1811.
7Lent by the Rev. F. W. Galpin, M.A., F.L.S.
969.
11"Bass flute" of box-wood, with ivory tips and cap, and eight brass keys on knobs. In d, therefore an octave lower than the concert-flute. MacGregor's patent of 1810. The head-joint is turned back on itself, by means of a curved tube of brass, in order to bring the mouth-hole within reach of the player. Besides the four ordinary closed keys, for d♯, f♯, g♯, and b♭, there are open keys for the e, g, a, and c''♯ holes, which would otherwise have been out of the reach of the fingers. See plate I., fig. K. The tone of the lowest octave is rather full, but that of the second and third octaves has an unpleasantly nasal character. The dimensions of a similar flute are given in the description of No. 70. By Wigley and McGregor, 151, Strand. 1811-16.
13Flutes of this pattern were made in France before 1751, and in a volume of plates of that date, forming part of the great Encyclopædia of Diderot and D'Alembert, there is a good engraving of a flute in g which closely resembles that described above, excepting that, of course, there are no keys for f, g♯, or b♭. A similar flute, with an entire length of fifty inches, made by the celebrated Delusse about the year 1760, is now in the Museum of the Paris Conservatoire.
15Lent by the Conservatoire Royal de Musique, Brussels.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.