Now SOLD: Fine Anonymous C19th ?French? 8-key Flute in D

Irish Flute
1

Hello everyone: I am now in a small way acquiring and restoring ITM suitable and similar wooden flutes for re-sale. I currently have the following flute available:-

FOR SALE: Fine Anonymous C19th ?French? 8-key Flute in D

System: Standard 8-key “Simple System
Materials: Grenadilla/Blackwood with all metal fittings in German Silver/Maillechort save for steel leaf springs and pins to all the keys.
Sounding Length: (tuning slide closed) 575mm, “C#- Eb” length 262mm.
Pitch: Plays well at A=440Hz with tuning slide open c12mm (in average British temperatures/humidity and with my moderately rolled-in embouchure)
Description/Commentary: This beautiful, elegant and very refined instrument is, on stylistic grounds, almost certainly French, probably from the mid C19th. There is no maker’s stamp.
This instrument has no serious or function affecting damage and, having been completely overhauled, it looks virtually brand new. The photographs may show what might appear to be many fine cracks, but these are in fact the natural surface grain: the two actual small cracks - one under the Eb key about 1cm long, one very short near the lower pillar of the G# key - are specifically illustrated in the photographs They are stable and don’t leak. It is also missing two of the original three tenon-end ferrule rings - not visible when assembled, of course. It is otherwise in near perfect original condition.
Although this flute has a relatively narrow body and small tone-holes, it is by no means quiet. According to French taste, it has a light, sweet but crisp, clear tone, lacking some of the lower partials favoured in British taste of the era and sought after in modern Irish Music circles, but it is nonetheless powerful and can hold its own in a folk session or an orchestra. It speaks easily and very evenly across the whole three octave range and, given its construction, would probably sound well into the fourth octave as used in Charanga style playing. The Head Joint is, in typical French fashion, only part-lined with metal tubing, just sufficiently to secure the upper part of the tuning slide within it. The ovoid embouchure hole is in very good condition, approximately 12.5x10.5 mm.
It is very light and a comfortable flute to hold. The relatively narrow tube makes the left-hand position more comfortable for the small-handed or those accustomed to metal Böhm flutes than many C19th wooden flutes would be. The small finger holes would make it an easier flute than many for a small-handed or narrow finger-tipped player, although as the holes are quite widely spaced, hands with short fingers or a limited finger-spread might still find difficulty or discomfort in spanning wide enough to reliably and comfortably cover the holes.

For a fully detailed description, please contact me off-list - e-mail to jemhammond@yahoo.co.uk.

To view an online gallery of detailed photographs of this instrument, visit this link:
http://jemtheflute.faces.com/Photos/3254277/Flute+#002/

To listen to an online album of sound samples of this instrument, visit this link:
http://jemtheflute.faces.com/TuneFeeds/ and choose album marked “Flute #002”
(Please excuse the inadequacies of my playing and any erratic performance. These are not studio quality recordings nor could I spend indefinite time refining them. I hope they are usefully illustrative of the flute.)

Asking Price: £800.00.

I also have available a nice 4-key Piccolo (my ref #000), also possibly French, playing at A=440, which would make a good partner to the flute. I haven’t had time to photograph or record it yet - working on that! It is priced at £75.00 and I would throw in a (modern, specially adapted) case for free if someone wants to buy them as a set.

Please contact me off-list for Terms of Business and any further information - e-mail to jemhammond@yahoo.co.uk.

NOTE: If you follow the Sample links given above, you can also see similar samples for a ?German? flute I recently sold - files marked “Flute #003”.

Even if you’re not looking for a flute right now, I hope some of you will enjoy checking out the pics and sound samples and I’d appreciate any feedback on- or off-list.
Happy Fluting!
Jem.

2

Hey Jem,

I have been getting those off eBay myself.

I have a Le Comte et CIE nearly identical to the one you are offering save the ivory head… which I have replaced with a period blackwood head. Mine has all the pieces though.

Surface finish is exactly as you describe.

As you have expained they do not have quite the same low end as English but I quite like it and I can get a good honk out it.

Very loud for a flute with such small holes and mine is quite in tune.

My only concern is your asking price.

Its rather steep for a flute like that.

I understand you overhauled it but there are a lot of these old flutes floating around out there still.

I’ve been doing the same as you, albeit hording mine.

I couldn’t in good conscience ask that much.

You do realize that is going on near 1500 USD?

They can be had in reasonable condition for about 150>200 USD off ebay as it is.

IMHO You won’t get many bites here at that price.

Respectfully submitted. :slight_smile:

Peri

3

Thanks for the comments, Peri/Aanvil - accepted in spirit made, but begging some response!

I haven’t seen many French flutes as cheap as you say on eBay (maybe I haven’t got the right searches set up?). The bog-standard metal-capped German ones, yes… and I shall have some of those to offer in due course, and at appropriate prices…they are rarely as good quality as the French examples, though some are very playable and very acceptable as beginners’/improvers’ instruments.

I absolutely do not want to abuse this list or infringe its rules and hope these remarks will not do so.

My aim is to provide good playing instruments to players. My pricing is aimed primarily to reflect my opinion of the comparative playing utility and quality of an instrument - the job it can do for a buyer. I don’t at present have the finances to move in the top musicians’/serious collectors’ end of the market so unless I fall lucky with a purchase, collectability, rarity, brand names etc. won’t much affect market values of my items.

I most certainly u]have[/u] done some research and am basing my prices partly on what may be observed on the websites of reputable people like Tony Bingham and The Wichita Band Company. I am deliberately NOT listing on eBay at present (though I may in future) precisely because items can significantly under-achieve just as likely as hit par or over-achieve!

I am prepared to haggle - OFF-LIST, of course. :smiling_imp:
If anyone is seriously interested, make me a serious offer.
If I have got my pitch totally wrong, rest assured I’ll be revising it, but I have to give it a whirl first!

When one buys an old instrument that is not in playing condition, even from a “real” junk shop/car boot sale/auction sale, more especially off eBay, one is taking a risk. Even knowing the sounding length, one cannot be sure it will play at modern pitch, and one cannot judge at all its intonation or sonority, leaving aside any other issues about its condition and restorability. In taking that risk one will probably make some “duff” purchases which add to the overheads of putting out the good ones. Many people do not want to take that risk and/or don’t have the skills/volition to put instruments back into playing order. If you buy a flute from me, I have taken that risk for you - you will know what you are getting and have some comeback - and I will very quickly mess up my chances of success at this if I get the wrong sort of reputation regarding the accuracy of my descriptions of instruments! I also offer a Trial Period under certain conditions (available on request off-list).

I see my place in the market as offering decent quality, ready-to-play instruments to people who want a fully keyed instrument but who are not looking at the upper end of the original/period instrument market (R&R, Pratten, Potter etc. £1500 and upwards!) nor want the cost of or wait for a flute from one of the better modern makers. A fully keyed flute from even one of the less highly rated makers with minimal waiting time would probably cost at least £1200. This flute plays better than some of those I have heard/tried! Also bear in mind that a half-decent modern keyless like a Seery is about £350-ish - great sound, but no keys!

Thanks again for the response.
Cheers,
Jem.

4

Gee, you write beautifully.
Good luck with this venture.

5

Jim, thanks for the compliment - though I’m more used to my writing being criticised for being too long-winded, larded with latinate polysyllabics, too many adjectives and using over-complicated sentences with multiple subordinate clauses!!! (QED.) Being concise is not my forte! Years ago when I worked in Archaeology I was asked by my boss to precis an academic article for him - I just couldn’t do it - my version was soon heading for greater length than the original! I always feel compelled to include all possibly useful detail and explanation of all possible variant interpretations etc…Ramification, ramification - and if I’ve noticed something or thought of something, I can’t bear to leave it out. Probably an OCD.

Seriously, I’d appreciate any feedback anyone has on the photos and sound samples (links in my original posting) - 'cos that would be helpful for how I put stuff out in future. Are they helpful? Too much? Too little? any silly omissions?

Thanks too for the good wishes.

Regards!
Jem.

6

" though I’m more used to my writing being criticised for being too long-winded, larded with latinate polysyllabics, too many adjectives and using over-complicated sentences with multiple subordinate clauses!!! (QED.) Being concise is not my forte! Years ago when I worked in Archaeology I was asked by my boss to precis an academic article for him - I just couldn’t do it - my version was soon heading for greater length than the original! I always feel compelled to include all possibly useful detail and explanation of all possible variant interpretations etc…Ramification, ramification - and if I’ve noticed something or thought of something, I can’t bear to leave it out. Probably an OCD. "

…OCD? You’re Welsh, aren’t you? That’s a birthright, man–never use one word where twenty-seven would do (Gwyn Thomas).

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I’ve been reading UK philosophers for forty-five years (!),
and it seems to me they have an extraordinary control
of written syntax. My theory, better, my speculation, is
that studying Greek/Latin has something to do w,ith it.
I have no idea why, exactly, not having studied either.
But something is different and it has to do with
education.

What do you’all think?

8

Josh - no I can’t claim to be Welsh, though I have lived in Wales for nearly 30 of my 48 years, and I’ve been involved in the Folk Music scene in Wales for most of that time, and with specifically Welsh music for much of that too. I’m actually English, brought up in the West Country from 4-18, though born in the Home Counties (of which I have no recollection). My kids are fully bi-lingual, having attended Welsh medium education from nursery up, but I only have a slight grasp of the tongue myself.

Jim may well be right about the influence of Classical languages - I did take an O-level in Latin, though by my generation that was becoming rather unusual in the State sector, and is now almost extinct. A-level French probably had as much influence, plus a general interest in and love of linguistics and wordplay and being an avid reader…
Having to write academic essays for History and English A-levels and my Archaeology degree as well…

So, I’m a sub-academic, wordy old fart!
Wow, how DID we get into this? Hasn’t much to do with selling old flutes!
Deep joy!!!
Jem.

9

Thanks to everyone who viewed, posted, showed an interest. The flute has now been sold and will have a new home in Indonesia in due course! I’ll be posting up more instruments as I get them ready, so watch this space…

10

Never mind the flute. That read was a hoot! :laughing: