Album insights
During the Renaissance and early Baroque periods, the flute had a keyless design with a tightly bored cylindrical shape tapering slightly towards the exterior. Soprano and tenor flutes were one-piece instruments, while the bass flutes typically had two parts joined below the mouthpiece, reinforced with a narrow metal ring. These flutes, simple and graceful instruments resembling the new moon, were captivating in their understated beauty, concealing complexity beneath their cool, clear surface. Instruments from that era, such as those preserved in the Accademia Filarmonica in Verona, showcased the craftsmanship of skilled artisans who created flutes allowing performers extensive control over tone color and intonation, though the latter posed significant challenges. Musicians could produce a sound with vocal expression and dynamic flexibility, thanks to the flute's interaction with plucked and bowed instruments, as well as with vocals. Records from inventories, paintings, treatises, and performance descriptions indicate the popularity of the flute in the 16th and 17th centuries, with a rich solo and ensemble repertoire for the present recording.
In 1533, Pierre Attaingnant released two collections of music for an ensemble of four transverse or recorder flutes. The transverse flute pieces were labeled with an "a", recorder pieces with a "b", and those suitable for both instruments with "ab". Compositions were contributed by renowned composers of the time, including Claudin de Sermisy, Clement Janequin, Nicolas Gombert, and Sebastiano Festa. Highlighting a 1518 German songbook edited by Arnt von Aich, the cover expressed the desire to use the music for singing joyously and playing flutes, shawms, and other musical instruments. Similarly, marginal notes in the 1554 edition of Georg Forster's "Frisch teutsch Liedlein" called for the transverse flute in certain pieces.
Descriptions predominantly detail three varying flute sizes – soprano, tenor, and bass, with the tenor possessing the broadest range from two octaves below middle C. Flutes were combined in various ensemble configurations, though assigning instruments to music was not always straightforward. Transpositions were necessary, even in compositions explicitly marked for flute by Attaingnant. The practice of transposition for the flute was elucidated in Martin Agricola's "Musica instrumentalis deudsch" (1529 and 1545), which also introduced the concept of utilizing "zitterndem winde" (vibrato) in transverse flute playing.
While evidence of flute performance in 16th-century Italy is seen in visual and written records, pre-1600 Italian sources lack music specifically designated for flute. However, references to the instrument in treatises and embellishment manuals, under names like "traversa", "fiffaro", or "piffaro", are found. For instance, Aurelio Virgiliano's "Il Dolcimelo" (around 1600) includes several Ricercari for "traversa", while Antonio Brunelli's "Varii esercitii" cover exercise for cornets, transverse flutes, flutes, viols, violins, etc.
In the early 17th century, Italian church musician Giovanni Battista Riccio published several Canzoni for the recorder in his work "Divine lodi musicali". These compositions, suitable for zinks, violins, and violas, also resonate with the flute, particularly emotive or melancholic pieces such as Marini's beautiful Passacaglia and Castello's Sonata "per soprano solo".
During the 1640s, blind carillon-player Jacob van Eyck released "Der Fluyten Lust-hof", a collection featuring known melodies embellished with virtuosic ornamentation. While often performed on the recorder today, van Eyck emphasized their compatibility with both transverse and recorder flutes, showcasing drawings of both instruments in the preface.
The cylindrical flute remained in use until the late 17th century alongside the newly evolving Baroque flute. Despite their coexistence, these instruments diverged significantly. The Baroque flute, crafted from three pieces with intricate tuning joints, featured a conical bore, thicker tube walls, and an enlarged mouthhole significantly altering tonal quality and responsiveness. A single key facilitated playing E, previously achieved by partially covering the lowest hole with a finger. The Baroque instrument favored the dark lower register, whereas the "Renaissance flute" excelled in the brighter upper octave. Observing the visual and acoustic complexity of French Baroque flutes by Hotteterre reveals the artistic impact of the flute's transformation in the 1670s, where the visually and sonically intricate alto voice in French style succeeded the neoplatonic soprano.