Scores Flute Grade 1 to 4
Sort by
Authors
The flute is one of the oldest and most widely used wind instruments. The forerunners of the modern transverse flute were wooden transverse flutes without keys, similar to modern fifes. These were later modified to include between one and eight holes for chromatic notes.
Keyless transverse flutes continue to be used in folk music, particularly traditional Irish music, as well as for baroque (and earlier) music concerts.
Medieval flutes (1000-1400)
Throughout the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries, transverse flutes were very rare in Europe, with the recorder dominating. The transverse flute arrived in Europe from Asia via the Byzantine Empire, where it migrated to Germany and France. These flutes are known as "German flutes" to distinguish them from others, such as the recorder. The flute was used in court music, along with the viol, and in secular music scores, but only in France and Germany. The first literary appearance of the transverse flute was in 1285 by Adenet le Roi in a list of instruments he played. After that, a period of 70 years followed, during which there were few references to the flute.
Renaissance in the 17th century
From the 1470s onwards, a military revival in Europe led to a renaissance of the flute. The Swiss army used flutes for signalling, which helped the flute to spread throughout Europe. At the end of the 16th century, flutes began to appear in court and theatrical music scores.
After the court music of the 16th century, flutes began to appear in scores for chamber ensembles. These flutes are often used as tenor voices. However, flutes vary greatly in size and range. This made transposition necessary, which led flautists to use Main guidonienne (used by singers and other musicians since their introduction in the 11th century) to transpose the music more easily.
By the 16th and early 17th centuries in Europe, the transverse flute was available in several sizes, forming a kind of consort in much the same way as recorders and other instruments. At this stage, the transverse flute is generally made in one section (or two for the largest sizes) and has a cylindrical bore. As a result, this flute has a rather mellow sound and a limited range, and is mainly used in "soft consort" compositions.
The dimensions and key system of the modern Western transverse flute and its close relatives are almost entirely the work of the great flutist, composer, acoustician and silversmith Theobald Boehm, who patented his system in 1847. It was immediately popular, and spread throughout the world within a few years. Minor additions and variations on his key system were common, but the acoustic structure of the tube remained almost exactly as he had designed it. The major innovations were the change from wood to metal, the large bore of the straight tube, the parabolic conical head bore, theThe major innovations were the change from wood to metal, the large straight tube bore, the parabolic tapered head bore, the very large tone holes covered by keys and the linked key system which makes fingering a little easier. The most important departures from Boehm's original description are the universal elimination of the 'crutch' for the left hand and the almost universal adoption of Briccialdi's thumb-key mechanism. Boehm's key system, with minor variations, is considered to be the most efficient of all modern wind instruments, enabling trained players to play their scores with ease and with extraordinary velocity and brilliance in all keys.
