Method for the One-Keyed Flute. Janice Dockendorff Boland

(1) by considering the nature of the flute itself, (2) by listening to today's one-keyed flutists, (3) by reading eighteenth-century tutors, and (4) by experimentation.

      First consider the nature of the flute itself. The one-keyed flute is designed with a conical bore which is smaller than that of the modern flute. The holes cut for the embouchure and fingers are also smaller. These characteristics are contributing factors to the one-keyed flute's inherently sweeter, quieter, less brilliant sound. Be prepared for these more delicate sounds. One-keyed flutes are made from a variety of materials, which also affect the tone quality. Quantz (1752, p. 50) tells us that a weak tone results from a flute made from porous and light wood, a narrow interior bore, and thin wood; a “thick and masculine” tone requires the opposite features.

      Your concept of tone will be rightly influenced by listening to concerts and recordings of today's players of the one-keyed flute. Find good models to imitate, for example, Barthold Kuijken, Wilbert Hazelzet, Stephen Preston, Christopher Krueger, Sandra Miller, Konrad Hünteler, Stephen Schultz, Masahiro Arita, Janet See, and Frans Brüggen. As soon as possible, locate a teacher with whom to study, either privately or by attending master classes.

      It is difficult to describe musical sound by way of the written word. However, we can get hints by reading how eighteenth-century flutists described flute tone. Keep in mind that the concept of flute tone undoubtedly differed from player to player and from country to country, even more so than it does today. And concepts changed as time progressed. The quotes that follow are presented in chronological order to give you an idea how the passage of time may have affected the concept of the flutist's tone. The overriding similarity among eighteenth-century sources is that the flute tone should imitate the human voice.

      Quantz (1752, p. 50) described the most pleasing tone as one which more nearly resembles a contralto than a soprano and challenged the player to produce “a clear, penetrating, thick, round, masculine, and withal pleasing sound.”

      Mahaut, writing in 1759 (p. 5), said “the tone is full, round, and clear. It is beautiful when, in addition, [it] is soft, delicate, resonant, and graceful.”

      Arnold (1787, p. 25) preferred “a full, round, and sonorous tone.”

      Tromlitz (1791, p. 111) said

      …the only model on which an instrumentalist should form his tone is a beautiful human voice…one that is bright, full and resonant, of masculine strength, but not shrieking; soft, but not hollow; in short, for me a beautiful voice is full of timbre, rounded, singing, soft, and flexible.

      At the end of the century, Gunn (c. 1793) reported conflicting schools of thought regarding tone quality and described two approaches to flute tone. The first stressed a bold, trumpet-like tone, with equal fullness of tone on every note. The second favored a soft tone, a graceful and tender expression with an affinity to the female voice. Gunn himself said that the second method was in some respect correct, but playing exclusively with that tone quality resulted in a monotonous performance. He favored a tone with variety, incorporating as many tone colors as the music demanded.

      Finally, experiment for yourself. Be sensitive to the instrument as you play. The flute will help guide you. Ask yourself where the flute speaks and sings at its best.

Checklist

      Several adjustments must be made as a player makes the transition from the modern flute to the one-keyed flute.

       Play without vibrato. (See On Vibrato on page 31.)

       Manipulate the air stream. Experiment with raising and lowering the air pressure, rolling in or out, and adjusting the embouchure to produce the best tone and proper pitch of each individual note.