A previous thread got me thinking about this question, and I thought it might warrant its own thread. My sense is that folks who play Breton music tend towards certain flutes rather than others. There are some obvious French makers who come to mind, e.g. Lehart and Morvan, to name a couple of prominent makers. This is not universally true, of course. J.M. Veillon, e.g., has been known to play Wilkes flutes, though now (I think) he is back to a Morvan. But it does seem to some extent true.
One explanation is that these are usually French musicians and so it makes sense that they would buy flutes from makers in the region. Another explanation, however, is that these makers make flutes that are tailored to or better suited to Breton music. I have heard this latter explanation suggested by people, but have always wondered whether it is correct.
So my questions are these: Are these flutes really better suited to Breton music than, say, Olwells, Grinters, Cotters, Murrays, etc? And if so, what is it about these flutes that makes them better suited to Breton music?
While I have no idea of the answer (and have played neither a Morvan nor a Lehart), I have always been a little skeptical about the idea that there is a Breton character that some flutes have, given that it seems to me that the styles of playing are so unique that that alone would be sufficient to explain why Breton players sound like Breton players. (I also think that perhaps I have been influenced by hearing John Skelton play very Breton sounding Breton music on his Olwell.) But I am certainly open to being wrong about my intuition about this.
I don’t see what would make a Lehart more suited to Breton music sound-wise than an Olwell, Grinter, etc… I suspect there are simply makers in Brittany because simple system flutes are played there, and people may like to buy from local makers. One can play Irish music on a LeHart or Breton music on an Olwell. I suspect individual taste has more to do with one’s choice than a certain type of sound being favoured.. but I could be wrong.
Breton flutes are not specifically made or suited to breton music, you can play any music you want with these flutes. JM Veillon is playing now a Stephane Morvan but also plays Bb Lehart, Eb Wilkes…
And there are 8 flutes makers in Brittany, so it’s always easier to buy local.
So I agree, individual taste has much more importance.
I think perhaps part of it is that the French flutes preferred by Breton players are better suited for playing in the 3rd octave and not so optimized to play in the first octave like the flutes Irish players prefer. Also, possibly Breton players tend towards a brighter sound and less dark complex sound, a difference between Breton vs. Irish players.
OK, Crickett, shoot me down. We’re good enough friends for you to blast me good.
The flute in breton traditional music is quite recent, in one hand there are not so many flute players in fest noz bands and in the other hand lots of irish sessions in Brittany, so it wouldn’t be a very good idea for a flute maker to design an instrument that suits better to breton music. Third or first octave, you can play anything you want with a Morvan, Poljez, Lesouef… and choose the sound you want. The player will make the difference.
OK, Crickett, shoot me down. We’re good enough friends for you to blast me good.
I’m in no position to shoot you down since I really don’t know (having never played one of the flutes from a maker in Brittany, but having listened to a lot of the music). I was simply hoping that there are others who have experience relevant to answering the question. I certainly think that your theory about this is plausible.
I’d be surprised if there are substantive differences (or differences that could be lumped together as ‘Breton’), since the makers in Brittany I’m aware of are basing their designs on on 19th century English flutes, just like ‘Irish’ flute makers in other parts of the world.
It’s in how the flutes are played that the differences surface. Of course, if someone in Quimper is playing an An Dro on a wooden flute, is it still an ‘Irish’ flute? Maybe it’s time for a broader term for this type of flute?
Of course. I’ve always preferred the technically incorrect but serviceable moniker “trad flute”. No need to worry about what the man on the street doesn’t understand; even if you say “Irish flute”, he’ll still ask if it’s a clarinet.
I just say flute, but where necessary/if pushed will go to trad or traditional flute. Might say simple flute talking to someone who understands, but never Irish flute unless (hypothetically in my case) it was by an Irish maker and being described as such.
I agree that there’s no difference, and since many Breton flute players also play Irish music it’s a bit of a moot point. However, it could be argued that the big, hard bottom D is not as important a feature in Breton flute playing as it is in Irish flute playing, and I think some Breton players might prefer to have flutes that are more “balanced” in the sense that the bottom D doesn’t stand out as much as it might otherwise. Two of my flutes were made for me by different makers who knew that I played Breton as well as Irish music, and both of those flutes have this sense of balance: the bottom D is good and strong, but it doesn’t pop out quite as much as it did on some of my other flutes. One of those flutes is very closely modeled after one that J-M Veillon had made for him, by the same maker.
I call it that too. But it would take an historically educated woodwind musician to have a point of reference to that. In the grand scheme of things, even the most “correct” term is still lost on your average person, so maybe there’s no point in trying to be universally intelligible. The term “Irish” was bestowed by the street in the wake of Riverdance, after all, wasn’t it.
Maybe we English speakers should go back to calling it the German Flute as we originally did when it first showed up.
Hell, just call it “flute”, fercryinoutloud. If someone’s really that interested in the gritty details, you can fill them in.
The last person who asked ‘what’s that?’ had a boehm flute in their hands at the time. So I didn’t say “a flute” I said “er… a flute…”
Back on topic and picking up on bradhurley’s observation. What are the common keys/scales for Breton tunes? A lot of them seem to be in a minor key. Would that have an influence on the ‘balance’ that people liked?
When I think of the Breton tunes I play, most but not all are in Em, Am, or Bm when played on a D flute; some are also in the old Breton modes that sound very Arabic and probably have a Moorish influence (esp. the music of southwest Brittany such as tunes typically played for the kas a-barh) I can think of a few in G (e.g. Cochinchine), but nothing in D comes to mind.
Technically, a lot of those tunes would have been played on Bb instruments (biniou koz and bombarde), although bombardes are available in quite a few other keys, and biniou koz are available in at least a few other keys as well. But when Breton players play those tunes on D flutes they use the same fingering (no transposing), same as the practice followed in Irish music when you play tunes on a C or Bb flute – you don’t transpose but just play using the same fingering you would on a D flute.
