Should we find Clementi manufactured C. Nicholson’s Improved flutes with small tone holes ?
Dunno about “should”. We do.
" Dunno about “should”. We do. " Agreed, my initial question relies on this fact. I suppose I should broaden things out a little by adding - Considering the main constructional innovative alterations marked in the annals of flute development during the early 19th. Century by the Nicholson’s, Clementi and Prowse, why should it be the case ? I also wonder roughly what percentage of finished flutes left Clementi’s workshop ( and later those of Prowse ) with this feature, in light of or in spite of this major developmental breakthrough?
From having a quick look in the collections and bringing to mind instruments that have sold in the past, I think the ratio of small holed to large holed Clementi Nicholson’s improved flutes is around 50:50.
As for Prowse Nicholson flutes after Clementi, all of those I have seen to date are large holed models.
The fifty/fifty split comes as something of a surprise to me for the initial Clementi instruments, considering the associated marketing of the time promoting the benefits of the larger tone holes. Then I suppose it must have taken some considerable time and persuasion to convince the buying public to change their habits and THEIR INSTRUMENTS. What sort of time scale are we talking about here ?
TWO TOOTS wrote; " The fifty/fifty split comes as something of a surprise to me for the initial Clementi instruments, considering the associated marketing of the time promoting the benefits of the larger tone holes. Then I suppose it must have taken some considerable time and persuasion to convince the buying public to change their habits and THEIR INSTRUMENTS. What sort of time scale are we talking about here ?"
There was a lot of advertising regarding the Nicholson’s Improved flute according to W. N. James, "if we were inclined to take the trouble, we could bring forward newspapers, from every town in the kingdom, wherein were inserted advertisements of his [‘Nicholson’s] “Improved flutes”. This certainly would have helped to popularise large holed instruments.
The time span would be between 1820 and 1831. Clementi retired from Clementi & Co in 1831, that business name changing to Collard & Collard. Some Nicholson’s Improved flutes may have been supplied to Collard & Collard from Prowse. Thomas Prowse Senior died in 1833. I did see an instrument on ebay five years ago bearing the stamp Collard & Collard, which was visually identical to a Clementi & Co Nicholson’s Improved, but this Collard & Collard did not carry the “Nicholson’s Improved” part of the stamp. Other sources give the start of production of Nicholson’s Improved flutes as 1815, so that would increase the time span to sixteen years with Clementi and a potential two years for Collard and Collard after 1831.
I have a couple of them, well 1 and 3/4 of another, great flute! It has the combing on the head joint and the cut aways for better grip.
Hi Jon C. Great tooters aren’t they ! As a matter of interest, what size tone holes are there on your models? The consensus up to pres. is that they may have been possibly made at a about a 50/50 ratio to help our flute playing ancestors ease into the idea of playing instruments with the new larger tone holes over a 15 year period, while still covering the market for players not entirely convinced. It appears that Prowse later made mostly the large T. H. variety under his own banner. What do you think ?
Talking about combed heads and the like, I was under the impression that Clementi/Prowse had more or less cornered the market with this fancy turning about this time. I was quite surprised to find this on ebay recently:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Boxed-Antique-English-Wooden-Flute-by-Blume-of-London-c1890-/152065492847?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D ( I was expecting it to go for a fair bit more.)
Which, from the look of the pewter plugs throughout, may even pre -date Clementi’s efforts.
Not according to the seller - “c 1890”. Anyone got that flute makers book, whatever it’s called, to check up on Blume & Co of London?
Hi Ben. I did a little research as I was thinking of bidding on this little beauty with a view to restore, and at the time I came to the conclusion that the vendor had made a typo and deduced that he meant 1790. This maker worked at the back end of the 18th. Century through to the early 19th. I was expecting it to go for more, but then again not everyone would notice the error.
I must admit, that does look a very low price. A fair bit of restoration work to be done, mind. Do you think the barrel was stuck, or was the seller just ignorant about how to put the thing together as well as on dates?
" I must admit, that does look a very low price. A fair bit of restoration work to be done, mind. Do you think the barrel was stuck, or was the seller just ignorant about how to put the thing together as well as on dates? "
Funny you should say that. Like yourself, I noticed the less than ideal storage arrangements the vendor had procured for the flute in its case. As you say it may have been the consequence of a stuck barrel or possibly lack of knowledge. So I analysed the vendor’s description with a bit more scrutiny, two lines of which caught my attention.
The first - " The middle section has a crack, see picture - but not detrimental to the overall instrument. " total nonsense.
The second - " Having the knowledge of putting this instrument back in working order would not be difficult." sounded blase.
So, I decided to put this individual’s knowledge to the test and sent him this inquiry -
New message to:
Hello, If I am lucky enough to win this flute at auction, would you be able to restore it and put it back in fully working order for me ?
Regards.
To which, not surprisingly, I received this response -
New message from:
Hi, I am not an expert is this field, sorry that I am unable to help. Regards.
I think that covers it Ben 
I think it very possibly does. I hope whoever has it is a fluter and one who has access to the right skills an/or people to bring the thing back to life.
Have you ever come across/played a Nicholson’s Improved Ben, and if so, what where your impressions ?
I don’t think I have. It’s possible I may have seen one round at Jem’s place. I’d be more keen on Rudalls I would think, but I’d be very curious to try a Nicholson Improved.
I love these flutes, and their construction oozes quality. I’m currently on the last leg in restoring a small holed model with just the cracked barrel to complete. The one thing I have noticed when making repairs to the combed surface (on the barrels especially ) is that with having a slightly reduced surface area, gluing can be a bit trickier. Also, it’s a slightly finicky affair cleaning up the residual glue to give a clean finish. Well worth the additional effort when the flute is complete and you get to play it! 
Hmmmm. I missed that one somehow. Style-wise I’d have said pre-1830 and Langwill has Johann Christian Blume in London from1787-99 before going (?back?) to Braunschweig. Jon C will be interested that he was yet another to use a unicorn’s head stamp.
I don’t have and haven’t had any Nicholson’s Improved through my hands, either Clementi or Prowse, though a friend of mine has a very fine one of the latter. I have got a plain Clementi and also a Collard & Collard London Improved with combed head and barrel and an up-turned long F touch - both small-medium tone-holes.
Digging about a bit with J.C.B. I also noticed things began to get a wee touch vaguer regarding this maker’s activities on his return to the field at the turn of the next Century. Anyway, my attention was drawn away by a nice block mounted one key stained boxwood with horn rings, made by Adler from Bamberg, Germany, which looks a bit like this -
https://www.loc.gov/resource/dcmflute.1070.0
Can you recall the size of tone holes on your friends Prowse ? Sounds like you enjoyed playing it.
Large, though not huuuuge. It is lovely to play but harder work (intonation-wise) than my R&Rs.
Photo here on FB (publicly visible without need to join FB), plus two more, one either side of it if you click R & L: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152139790849271&l=23e13ed6c2