The baroque flute (traverso)

Seventeenth-century flute

Music of the 16th century called mainly for Consort flutes which were played chiefly in the upper part of their range, and designed to blend with the other flutes in the consort rather than to stand out. But the new solo style of the early baroque, (17th century) called for instruments with a more individual character, including a stronger lower range and more of an ability to play loud and soft, like a human voice.

At some time during the 17th century makers determined that narrowing the bore toward the bottom of an instrument made its low notes stronger and allowed the second octave to be played with the same fingerings as the first. Adding a key for E flat made that note more even in tone with the rest, and building the flute in three sections made manufacture easier.

The earliest extant flutes of this new kind were made in the Netherlands and perhaps in Italy. But we first hear of the new flutes in the hands of musicians at the court of Louis XIV of France, where they were often played in intimate private concerts in the chambers of the king and his courtiers. Their repertoire consisted of simple folk-songs, often elaborately ornamented and performed with singers, lutes, and sometimes other instruments. The flute was thought of as a sweet, tender, and languishing instrument ideally suited to express feelings of love.

Flutes begin appearing in French and German opera and chamber music in the 1680s. Jean-Baptiste Lully's opera-ballet Le Triomphe de l'Amour (1681) first specifies Flûtes d'Allemagne.

Eighteenth-century flute

Around 1700, the flute started to become popular as a solo instrument and to acquire its own repertoire with Michel de Labarre's Pieces pour la flûte traversiére avec la basse-continue (1702). A booming market for instruments and music provided opportunities for makers, composers, teachers, and publishers in England, France, Holland, and Germany. Quantz's Method of Playing the Flute traversiere, a massive treatise on performance practice, wass published in German and French in 1755 and the blind child prodigy Friedrich Ludwig Dülon began a famous career as a touring virtuoso in 1779.

Professional flutists nearly all played oboe as their first instrument. In England they appeared before a paying audience in public concerts, alongside players of the violin, oboe, recorder, and keyboard. Their repertoire included new forms such as solos (sonatas or suites for flute and basso continuo) and concertos. Concerts in France and Germany were still mostly private affairs, however.

The baroque flute thus became known in England and Germany in the early 18th century. A few professional wind players including J.J. Quantz began to specialize in playing it in opera scores and public concert, and to write pieces for the instrument. In France a handful of professional flutists such as Jacques Hotteterre gave lessons to high-ranking amateur musicians, and the flute became a popular amateur instrument elsewhere.

The first solo music for flute and basso continuo was published around 1700, and pieces by Telemann, Blavet, Handel, Bach, Vivaldi, and many other composers followed. In Germany and Italy especially, flutists began to write studies for the flute in all 24 keys, rather than in the restricted range of tonalities or modes it had used before. But most published music was in relatively easy keys for the baroque flute, such as G major and E minor. Professional players generally reserved more difficult music for their own use to be sure it would be played in tune.

Woodwind makers in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Nuremburg, and many other cities began to manufacture flutes as the instrument became more popular. Flutists were often featured at prestigious concerts in Paris and elsewhere, so that famous players began to travel to other cities and countries to perform as soloists.