John Lunn, maker of the Art Nouveau flute, is taking an indefinite hiatus from flutemaking to focus on writing children’s books. I can imagine his desire for a break, since every part of the flute is handmade by him, but if he never returns to flutemaking, it will be a serious loss to the Boehm flute world.
Here’s a link to pictures of one of his flutes:
http://www.nrayworth.freeserve.co.uk/flute/notes/lunhan.html
Lovely ! Just incredibly lovely !
I agree, Jack, the Lunn flute in the photo is lovely, as you say. However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I much prefer the simple beauty of a straightforward presentation as to the ornate complexity of the Lunn flute. Likewise with old violins, if I am not mistaken, the violins that command the greatest respect and are in the greatest demand are the classic designs that are extremely well done, as opposed to the fancy violins with carved heads and backs with fancy inlays. Just my opinion, but, then again, I appreciate a Zen garden with raked sand and three rocks, whereas many people would find this a little too austere 
I think old violins and Irish flutes are beautiful in their simplicity, but modern (Boehm) flutes seem to me to be far too modern-looking. I don’t find them romantic, but rather, kind of conservative.
You, Doug, also think the modern electronic keyboard is “so vastly superior” to its predecessor, the “dinosaur,” the piano.
To each his own.
To a lot of pianists, the electronic keyboard is referred to as a “Piano-Shaped-Object” or a PSO.
It’s really sad here to see how Baldwin has declined, sticking keys and lots of other problems with the new ones. They used to be quite a name here in Cincinnati.
I always find this idea of minimalism - form follows function- currently dubbed ‘modernism’ (or is it another ‘-ism’ now?) a little overdone. I sometimes get the feeling that we imported it from Japan misunderstood it and then mostly did it badly. Accountants, I suspect, love it because it is cheap! I enjoy purity of form and balance but also exuberance and romance. Every time I play my flute I am pleased by it’s beauty; the fact that the little indicator of cork position is turned into a tiny acorn delights me. That its keys and tone holes fall comfortably beneath my fingers in an ergonomic fashion pleases me as well. That it also sounds gorgeous, (in the right hands!) is nothing short of a miracle. Would the world be better off without an outrageously art nouveau flute? Did the man waste his time love and effort? I think not. Still I’m sure the kids books will be delightful as well.
Rob
I have long been an admirer of John Lunn’s flutes, even hoping to own one some day ~ Perhaps I will, if he decides to start up again. The world would be a very dry place without those possessing artistic vision…
That being said, I was just wondering how difficult it would be, say, for a silversmith to add some of those whimsical embellishments to an existing Boehm flute.
Mary
Jessie, I explained my dinosaur comments about the piano on a previous post. Don’t get me wrong; I love the piano. I also like the functionality of a modern electronic keyboard. As an ex-piano technician (about 30 years ago), I came to think of the piano as resembling a dinosaur, in that the piano is so massive. I am not talking about the way a piano sounds. I am talking about what it looks like when you have the action of a Steinway grand piano laying in pieces on your work bench.
Modern-day dinosaurs are not all bad. Take Barney, for example. The kids love him.
Mary, John’s artistry isn’t a matter of mere embellishments. Other than the tubes and key cups (not counting arms), he buillt the flute completely by hand. The lever keys were handmade, the ribs were hand-formed, the key arms were handmade, too. His flutes are totally unique and I am amazed he didn’t charge more (his flutes were about average price for high-end flutes, most of which were far less handmade).
Though Doug Tipple and Treeshark are polar on this issue I see merit in both their points.
Let me expalin:-
I think that a material such as bamboo, a nature made tube, should be left as natural as can be when making a flute - minimal interference with its innate beauty. Whereas, you see, a metal flute is a different cup of tea.
I like the Lunn my self. There is an eroticism in leafy metallica …