Books › A descriptive catalogue of the musical instruments recently exhibited at the Royal Military Exhibition, London, 1890 …, 1891 › scan 63
Scan 63
A descriptive catalogue of the musical instruments recently exhibited at the Royal Military Exhibition, London, 1890 …, 1891
6 lines. Read by computer on 1 October 2026. Printed page 43. See the scan on archive.org.
198.
3CONCERT-FLUTE of cocus-wood, with conoidal bore and silver fittings. Ward's patent of 1842. The inventor's object was to construct a flute, on the "open-keyed" system, with greater mechanical facilities than had previously been obtained, but although there are many points of excellence in this instrument, it is not equal, as a whole, to the inventions it was intended to supersede. In some respects it bears strong resemblance to the flutes of Pottgiesser, particularly in regard to the four open holes for the fingers of the right hand, and the d'♯ and g♯ levers for the left-hand thumb. Its best point is the appropriation of the touches of the c' and c'♯ keys to the left-hand thumb. These keys are closed by traction-levers similar to those known to have been employed by Captain Gordon. Ward, "in 1839, began to make what is called the Boehm-flute in London," and he was the first in this country to make the valuable and now well-known "needle-springs." The flute here described has an extra b♯ lever for the first finger of the left hand, and extra g♯ levers for the third and fourth fingers of the right hand. These additions were suggested by the writer in 1844. A lever precisely similar in its object to the extra b♯ lever of this flute is now in use on the instrument numbered 108. The "stopper" of Ward's flute is moved by means of an excentric disc, within the head, which is connected with an index-lever outside. This moves on a dial furnished with numbers which correspond to others on a graduated tuning slide. The annexed wood-cut is copied from Ward's pamphlet, The Flute Explained, London, 1844. By Cornelius Ward of London. 1845 circa.
5Lent by Messrs. Rudall, Carte and Co.
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