This is an instrument I was given many moons ago by an old family friend, it also came with an oboe. Being a brass player myself it’s not an area I know anything about, so any help and information will be much appreciated.
It’s a two piece flute, with four block mounted keys. The inscription on the lower half says “Hawke’s & Son, Denman Street, Piccadilly Circus, London”. Its 14 3/4" (375mm) long and I would guess is made from rosewood.
I’d be interested in any information, as to what it is and any background. Also, would it be financially worthwhile having it renovated, are these things still playable for everyday use? I have to be honest, it almost ended up as firewood. My lad has started to show an interest in playing so this may be a good place to aim for him.
Many thanks.
The whole instrument is less than 15" long? Probably a piccolo. Looks to be in pretty good shape, though. Does anybody play simple system piccolos any more?
if a true piccolo of the period (hard to say in this photo…could be a “3/4 flute” or in F)…
it would be in D
which is essentially a “whistle flute” for want of a better phrase.
I play one…and it’s a trip. Nice variation to whistles.
This is not a piccolo or an F flute. At 14 3/4" overall length it’s almost certainly a high pitch Bb Band Flute (sometimes mis-termed a “fife”) at between A=445-50Hz. To be at modern pitch these are usually 15"+. As it doesn’t have a tuning slide, it’ll be pretty much stuck where it is. That’s not all bad news, though. Hawkes & Son instruments including HP ones are quite highly sought after in the Ulster marching band tradition and command well above normal prices for Bb band flutes, which are very common and mostly HP, and aren’t usually worth much. This example isn’t a Hawkes “Crown A-Z” which pull the best prices, but I suggest you search eBay for recent Hawkes sales. Quite a lot of marching bands still use HP instruments, though virtually no-one else does. This is a good quality instrument and looks to be in quite good condition. It is made of cocuswood with German Silver (cupro-nickel) fittings.
I’m sure it would be well worth having it overhauled/made playable for its own sake, either for your lad to play (it may well be a very sweet player) or to sell. The only problem with playing it is that if I’m right that it is HP, he will only be able to play it solo or with a tuned-up string instrument - no good with modern pitch instruments! It should make a good introductory flute, however, to lead on to other things if he does well with and enjoys it.
It shouldn’t need a lot of work - looks to have modern pads, but may need repadding, springs checking, a general clean, possibly the joint re-lapped, stopper cork checked, etc. I can’t see any cracks on the pictures, but the crown button is missing - it’s not essential to have that replaced, but would be a nice touch if you can find someone to turn one and a picture of a surviving one to copy. If you do get it fixed up, I would advise against taking it to a normal music shop woodwind technician, however, unless they have an interest in and experience of C19th instruments. There are folk on this Forum who would do a good job for you, and it shouldn’t be expensive. If you are this (GB) side of the pond I’ll offer (pm me if interested), but transatlantic postage 2 ways and potential customs hassle make that a poor proposition if you’re in the Americas. I’m sure Jon C would take it on on that side of the water.
Modern pitch Simple System D piccolos are about 12" long. I play one! It’s a Rudall Carte 6-key in ebonite made in 1922. I have another Rudall Carte one in wood made by Wylde in 1886 awaiting fixing up.
If you find a piccolo under 12", it will either be HP or in Eb/D#. Incidentally, Simple System piccolos remained in use in orchestras long after most players had switched to Bohm flutes - one reason at least being that many male players found (as I find myself) that they couldn’t fit their fingers on the crowded key-work of a Bohm picc playably.
Oh yes, and have a look at this - towards the end!!! (Klezmer music on C19th German Simple System flute AND piccolo 
)
good points, Jem
I’d read somewhere (Rockstro maybe?) that HP in the UK at the time was actually 440…
or was it that LP in the states was actually 440?
hmmmm
Not Rockstro. That’s a can of worms best not opened really… but no, 440 would have been LP for Britain, whereas to the French and Germans (mostly, except on instruments for the British market) LP meant 435 or lower and 440 was HP. Terry McGee has a good account of British HP on his website.
Many thanks for the replies and help.
Overnight I’ve been doing some research on Hawkes & Son. It looks like they were around from 1860 to 1930 when they were taken over by Boosey to become Boosey & Hawkes. From 1860 to 1875 they were known as Hawkes & Co so this instrument must post date 1875. This does tie in with the period the previous owner had the instrument as that would relate to the turn of the 20th Century. I was also given a Pan American oboe that seems to be from that time too.
I’ve been looking at the condition of it. one of the keys is sticking and a pad is loose but no cracks that I can see. It does sound to be a Bb as it’s close to my trumept and cornet, as you say somewhat sharpe.
Once again thanks, it’s much appreciated.
This nearly identical instrument is on eBay right now http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=230321754535&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=013 (ends today). The vendor is in…Belfast, of all places to find a band flute!!!
Might be worth saving the pictures for a reference for the crown button? Or even buy this one and have a matched pair? That would solve the pitch problem!
Does the end cap on that one flute look consistent with the rest of the flute?
No grove on the ring and the cap seems to be lighter color.
I’m defiantly not an expert in such matters though.
Re: the eBay example, the vendor noted that the upper head ferrule ring was a replacement. No reason to think the crown must be too (the ring is on the body, not the crown, to which it is in no way attached), though it could well be… I’ve seen a good many old ones that don’t match the body for colour very closely though, and crowns very often break or get lost as in the case of the OP’s example. It is less often that anyone bothers replacing them, I think. Whatever, its profile looks OK. On colour, note the variance betwixt head and body on the OP pictures. Even if from the same billet, cocuswood doesn’t always age and colour-shift consistently, and these non-premium types of instrument would not necessarily have been carefully made from contiguous pieces of timber. Crowns might be turned out of any handy scraps.