The Flute and Flute-Playing in Acoustical, Technical, and Artistic Aspects

by Theobald Boehm, Dayton Clarence Miller

The Flute and Flute Playing (Dover Books On Instruments) The flute (or closely related instrument) has been known since prehistoric times, but up until the middle of the nineteenth century it was still far from being a satisfactory instrument, despite the quantity of important music that had been written for it. Its tone was poor and thin, its volume was low, its keying system was inefficient, and it was very difficult to play. The man who changed all this and invented the modern flute was Theobald Boehm (1794–1881), a Bavarian flute virtuoso, who played at the royal court in Munich. Boehm worked upon the flute for many years; indeed, he even went to the length of studying acoustics at the University of Munich, in order to apply the exact data and principles of the sciences to instrument design. After many years of experimentation and preliminary steps, he created the modern flute in 1847. It was silver and cylindrical, furnished with a parabolic head-joint, accurately placed finger holes, and efficient key mechanism. With only small modifications, this is the flute that is used today.
In 1871 Boehm published an account of his research and accomplishments, a book that has come to be recognized as one of the classics of musicology. In it he covered the acoustics of the instrument; the technique for establishing its proportions and keying; his new system of fingering; the key mechanism; the bass flute in G; and similar topics. In the second half of the volume he provided insights on performance, as they emerged from his remarkable virtuosity. This is not a treatise on how to play the flute, but comments upon the development of tone, finger exercises, practicing method, and interpretation, including coloratura. This book is very clearly written and requires no technical knowledge of its reader. It has long been a favorite not only of flutists but also of musicologists, acousticians, and lay persons interested in music.
This edition of Boehm's work, translated by Dayton C. Miller of the Case School of Applied Science, also contains biographical notes about Boehm, a list of Boehm's musical compositions, a short bibliography, and a critical introduction. More than 50 musical excerpts and illustrations accompany the text, while the renowned contemporary flutist Samuel Baron has written a new Introduction for the Dover edition.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Reference

240 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1964

Reviews

[B · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting history of the Boehm flute, but highly technical, and therefore, difficult to read. Part II -- Flute-Playing provided the most relevant information for a flute player, but the section was very short and did not give many details for personal application.

[Becca Noon · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband gave me this for my birthday.
LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. <3 <3 <3

[Altivo Overo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published in 1922, and released in the present form by Dover Books in1964, this book is essential reading for any flutist or student of musical history. Boehm was an accomplished musician, both as performer and composer. His own research into instrument construction and design gave the flute and the clarinet their most widely used modern forms. Here he outlines those studies as well as providing advice to performers and composers for the flute. Print copies and electronic digital versions are readily available.

[Amanda E. (aebooksandwords) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read and glimpse into the inventor of the modern flute and its history. Every modern flute player and maker today is greatly indebted to this excellent man.

The book is quite technical in the first section, very appealing to flute makers and technicians. The second section focuses on flute playing and is helpful to all flutists.