Original flutes

Here are pictures of the most beautiful flutes I own.

Anonymus flute, 6/8 keys (ca. 1810)

Anonymus flute, 6/8 keys, boxwood with ivory rings, 3 middle joints (430 Hz, 435 Hz, 438 Hz), D-foot, C-foot, in the original box, ca. 1810.

Johann Gottlieb Streitwolf, 8 keys (ca. 1830)

A beauty is the 8-keyed flute, 438 Hz, by Johann Gottlieb Streitwolf, ca. 1830. Later, Streitwolf built flutes with a nearly rectangular mouth hole. Some of his instruments are kept in different museums, like the Oxford Bate Collection or the Germanisches Museum … Streitwolf was a well-known and very good instrument maker; he built flutes as well as clarinets and oboes.

One-keyed traverso, boxwood with horn

One-keyed traverso, boxwood with horn. High tuning a=456 Hz. Lively sound, very good in tune. The horn rings must be replaced.

Six-keyed classical flute (ca. 1840, anonymous)

Six-keyed classical flute with slide in the head joint, boxwood with ivory. Pitch a=440–430. Ca. 1840, anonymous. Unbelievable playing condition, easy going even into the highest of the high notes, round and full sound.

Satzger Carlsruhe, 8 keys (ca. 1820)

8-keyed classical flute, boxwood with bone. Pitch a=438. Ca. 1820, Satzger Carlsruhe. Full and rich sound, easy high register.

Carl Augustine II Grenser, 1-keyed traverso (1800)

1-keyed traverso, boxwood with ivory. Pitch a=438, 435, 430. Carl Augustine II Grenser, 1800. Full and round sound, easy high register. This one sounds better and is better in tune than any newly made Grenser copy I know of!

Nicolas Ainé, 5-keyed French flute (ca. 1840)

5-keyed classical French flute with tuning slide, boxwood with ivory. Pitch a=440–430. Ca. 1840, Nicolas Ainé. Unbelievable condition – it looks as if it had never been played – plays very well in all registers. Full and loud sound. No long f-key.

“After Meyer” flute (late 19th century)

Romantic “after Meyer” flute with tuning slide. Pitch a=440–430. Late 19th century, anonymous. Very good playing condition. 12 keys: low b, c, c#, d#, f-short, f-long, g#-short, g#-thumb, bb-short, bb-rh index finger, c, d'''–e''' trill.

English 4-keyed flute (a'=460 Hz)

English 4-keyed flute, high pitch a'=460 Hz.

William Henry Potter, 7 keys (before 1840)

I am delighted to have this William Henry Potter 7-key flute, dated before 1840, in my collection. Restoration is in progress. Overall the flute is in very good condition: no cracks, sharp edges on all the holes; there is a little chip at the tenon of the right-hand piece, but it is so small and in such a spot that it doesn’t have any effect at all. The flute is already cleaned and oiled, the tenons have new threads, and the pins that hold the keys came out after a bit of a struggle. At the moment I am making customized pads, individually for every salt-spoon key. The brass spring of one of the keys is broken and needs replacement. The sound will be very nice – one can hear it already when blowing the head joint. At which pitch the flute is will show once all the keys are padded and in place.

Making the pads