Books › A descriptive catalogue of the musical instruments recently exhibited at the Royal Military Exhibition, London, 1890 …, 1891 › scan 65
Scan 65
A descriptive catalogue of the musical instruments recently exhibited at the Royal Military Exhibition, London, 1890 …, 1891
14 lines. Read by computer on 1 October 2026. Printed page 45. See the scan on archive.org.
1The cylindrical part of the bore has a diameter of .748 inch. The diameter of the head-joint at the mouth-hole varies considerably in different specimens, but Boehm laid down a rule that it should measure .669 at the centre of the mouth-hole, and he considered that the lines of the interior of the head should form a portion of a parabola. The specimen here shown is of the original pattern, and was made by Boehm, probably about the year 1848. The fingering is the same as that of the flute numbered 97, but this bore is only adapted for holes of a larger size than the unaided fingers could conveniently cover, therefore it was necessary that every hole should be covered by a key. Boehm's machinery for effecting this object is of the rudest construction, and extremely uncertain in its action, but, by the successive improvements of various constructors of Paris and London, the "stopping" of the keys has been rendered perfect. The holes vary irregularly in size from .46 inch, for the c'' hole, to .54 inch, for the d' hole. The c'♯ hole measures .535 inch. The distances between the holes are also extremely irregular, and appear to have been arranged on no system whatever. Until the year 1864 the best flutes of this pattern were made with holes, from that for c''♯ downwards, of the uniform diameter of .52 inch.
3The "crutch" for the left-hand thumb is a contrivance invented by Boehm for the purpose of rendering the instrument steady during performance. It is absolutely unnecessary, and has long been discarded in England, even by the few who ever used it.
5A flute similar to this gained, in spite of its imperfections, the Council-medal of the Great Exhibition of 1851. See plate I., fig. I.
7Lent by Alfred Hays, Esq.
9104.
11CONCERT-FLUTE of metal. Crutch wanting. Excepting that it has a rude imitation of the "Briccialdi bb key," and a hollowed mouth-piece of ivory entirely surrounding the head-joint, this instrument exactly resembles that numbered 103. By Theobald Boehm, Munich. 1850 circa.
13Lent by Alfred Hays, Esq.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.