Throughout the
history of the flute, there are many flutists and flute makers that have made
an impact of the instrument’s development. As I’ve continued studying this
history, I’ve been introduced to the treatises of flutists Hotteterre, Quantz,
and Tromlitz.
The first treatise I read was authored by Jacques Hotteterre who lived from the1680s to the early1760s and was a self-proclaimed expert on the instrument, like many flutists were at the time. Hotteterre’s credentials are that he descended from a family of flute makers and he served as the flutist of the king’s court. It was this flute treatise that made him famous in 1707.
I also read “On Playing the Flute”, a flute treatise authored by Johann Joachim Quantz. Living from 1697-1773, he served as composer, flutist, and flute maker to King Frederick II of Prussia. You may be already familiar with his flute concerti, but you might find in this treatise not only an explanation of proper Baroque flute technique and performance practice, but an in-depth discussion on what qualities make for a successful musician.
Not much research had been done since Quantz’s work was published until the release of “The Virtuoso Flute Player” by Johann George Tromlitz. Tromlitz used Quantz’s work as a model and elaborated on it. Tromlitz’s work was published in 1791 and he lived from 1725-1805. He joined the Grosses Konzert orchestra in 1754 and also began performing solo tours around this time. In historical accounts, his flute playing has been viewed uniformly positive. As well as a flutist, he is also a flute maker and composer, although it is said, “He merely builds his own flutes as a musician concerned with playing the most accurate instruments”.
All three flutists make valuable commentary on flute playing in their respective works. Hotteterre begins by stating the basics: Stand/sit tall, hold hands high without raising the elbows or shoulders, keep the left wrist bent inwards slightly and the left arm closer to the body than the right arm, but then he continues to say that there should be absolutely no movement with your body or head while playing, your right hand fingers should be almost straight, and when standing you should place your left foot in front of your right and keep your weight on the right hip. Coming from a contemporary perspective, I cannot imagine performing or practicing with absolutely no movement and I do not recommend it. Practicing without motion would lead to rigid playing and would put the flutist at higher risk for related injuries. I also believe that allowing the motion of the flutist encourages higher musical expression (although there are also problems with motion in excess). Also, while it was appropriate to straighten the right hand fingers on the open holed transverse flutes, proper curvature to all fingers is important on today’s instruments as it allows for greater technical facility. In terms of stance, I know that some flute teachers have their beginning students put the left foot forward, but I believe in a comfortable but balanced position. Almost anything goes as long as the flutist’s weight is evenly distributed, which is why I was also surprised that Hotteterre specifies that the flutists weight be focused on the right hip.
The first treatise I read was authored by Jacques Hotteterre who lived from the1680s to the early1760s and was a self-proclaimed expert on the instrument, like many flutists were at the time. Hotteterre’s credentials are that he descended from a family of flute makers and he served as the flutist of the king’s court. It was this flute treatise that made him famous in 1707.
I also read “On Playing the Flute”, a flute treatise authored by Johann Joachim Quantz. Living from 1697-1773, he served as composer, flutist, and flute maker to King Frederick II of Prussia. You may be already familiar with his flute concerti, but you might find in this treatise not only an explanation of proper Baroque flute technique and performance practice, but an in-depth discussion on what qualities make for a successful musician.
Not much research had been done since Quantz’s work was published until the release of “The Virtuoso Flute Player” by Johann George Tromlitz. Tromlitz used Quantz’s work as a model and elaborated on it. Tromlitz’s work was published in 1791 and he lived from 1725-1805. He joined the Grosses Konzert orchestra in 1754 and also began performing solo tours around this time. In historical accounts, his flute playing has been viewed uniformly positive. As well as a flutist, he is also a flute maker and composer, although it is said, “He merely builds his own flutes as a musician concerned with playing the most accurate instruments”.
All three flutists make valuable commentary on flute playing in their respective works. Hotteterre begins by stating the basics: Stand/sit tall, hold hands high without raising the elbows or shoulders, keep the left wrist bent inwards slightly and the left arm closer to the body than the right arm, but then he continues to say that there should be absolutely no movement with your body or head while playing, your right hand fingers should be almost straight, and when standing you should place your left foot in front of your right and keep your weight on the right hip. Coming from a contemporary perspective, I cannot imagine performing or practicing with absolutely no movement and I do not recommend it. Practicing without motion would lead to rigid playing and would put the flutist at higher risk for related injuries. I also believe that allowing the motion of the flutist encourages higher musical expression (although there are also problems with motion in excess). Also, while it was appropriate to straighten the right hand fingers on the open holed transverse flutes, proper curvature to all fingers is important on today’s instruments as it allows for greater technical facility. In terms of stance, I know that some flute teachers have their beginning students put the left foot forward, but I believe in a comfortable but balanced position. Almost anything goes as long as the flutist’s weight is evenly distributed, which is why I was also surprised that Hotteterre specifies that the flutists weight be focused on the right hip.
Quantz elaborates
on posture by describing the proper way to hold the flute and place the fingers
on the keys. Since there was no thumb key at his time, the left thumb was to be
placed directly under the left middle finger and was slightly curved. Because
of this, the left thumb was in control of maintaining the flute’s balance
instead of the right. The flute rests upon the fleshy portion of the first
joint of the finger (as is still done today) and equilibrium should be formed
between the chin, left thumb, and left pointer finger. On the right hand, the
thumb should be curved under the pointer finger and the rest of the fingers
should be curved over the keys. Instead of the right thumb being a balance
point, like it is today, it merely keeps the rest of the hand in proper
position above the keys. This helps to eliminate all unnecessary movement. The
fingers should not be lifted too high, or that will throw off technique. The
head should also be kept naturally up will allow for proper breathing. A
lowered head would constrict this breathing and so would a hyper-extended head.
The arms should not be pressed against the body, but be a little outwards.
Tromlitz emphasizes the fact that posture is a critical part of flute performance. First, you will perform better if you are poised and relaxed, but secondly, you will carry a poor impression to the audience if your stance is poor. Good posture is required for a good performance! Tromlitz states, "…do not stand there twisted and crooked and hunched up, holding the flute as though to crush it to pieces; otherwise you will force the air out into the flute with precisely the same strength as you are using to grip the flute itself." He encourages standing up straight and relaxed with the feet close together, but the left one a little forward. The head is held up and looking forward. The left hand holds the flute with the left hand similarly to how Quantz described it, and the right hand thumb should be placed in between the pointer and middle fingers. The tip of the thumb is positioned so that the fingers are in proper placement and not too far extended or curved. Like Hotteterre, Tromlitz also specifies that the right hand fingers be mostly straight, but on today’s instrument, slight curvature is required. As with Quantz, the left hand should be solely responsible for the flute being held securely. The little finger must also be the correct distance above the key so that it is ready when needed. Both arms are held away from the body and the flute forms a straight line.
Tromlitz emphasizes the fact that posture is a critical part of flute performance. First, you will perform better if you are poised and relaxed, but secondly, you will carry a poor impression to the audience if your stance is poor. Good posture is required for a good performance! Tromlitz states, "…do not stand there twisted and crooked and hunched up, holding the flute as though to crush it to pieces; otherwise you will force the air out into the flute with precisely the same strength as you are using to grip the flute itself." He encourages standing up straight and relaxed with the feet close together, but the left one a little forward. The head is held up and looking forward. The left hand holds the flute with the left hand similarly to how Quantz described it, and the right hand thumb should be placed in between the pointer and middle fingers. The tip of the thumb is positioned so that the fingers are in proper placement and not too far extended or curved. Like Hotteterre, Tromlitz also specifies that the right hand fingers be mostly straight, but on today’s instrument, slight curvature is required. As with Quantz, the left hand should be solely responsible for the flute being held securely. The little finger must also be the correct distance above the key so that it is ready when needed. Both arms are held away from the body and the flute forms a straight line.
As each of these
experts only had the instruments of their time available to them, they
developed slightly differing views on flute playing, but many aspects stayed
the same. We have these three to thank for much of what we know about flute
development and traditional performance practice today, and formed the basis
for improvements to come.
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Further Reading:
Hotteterre, Jacques. Principles of the Flute, Recorder & Oboe. Barrie & Rockliff, 1968.
Further Reading:
Hotteterre, Jacques. Principles of the Flute, Recorder & Oboe. Barrie & Rockliff, 1968.
Quantz, Johann Joachim, and Edward R. Reilly. On Playing the Flute. Fir paperback ed. New York: Schirmer Books, 1966.
Tromlitz, Johann George, and Ardal Powell. The Virtuoso Flute-Player. Cambridge England; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991. Cambridge Musical Texts and Monographs Web.
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