How high into the third octave were the old Rudalls (and their
contemporary copies)
meant to play? Let me expand the question to
all simple system flutes. What’s the top of their range
for those designed to go high, like the Rod Cameron
flutes?
As high as the repertoire of the period called for. So anywhere from the third octave Bb up to the fourth octave E. C. Nicholson and R.S. Pratten are probably the guiding lights for 19th c. English flute playing–I’m not sure what their repertoire consisted of or called for, but they would have been playing the flutes that ours are roughly patterned after.
More info here: http://www.oldflutes.com/19C-play.htm#range
listen to Arcaño y sus Maravillas, Fajardo or some other old charanga artists and you’ll hear some pretty adroit third- and fourth-octave playing on simple-system flutes.
Yes, but they’re playing French flutes with the cork likely moved closer to the embouchure hole to favor the upper range. Quite different from playing an 1830’s Rudall and Rose.
Jim–the flute’s range will depend heavily on the type of flute (English, French, Viennese, etc.), the national repertoire, and the time period (even within one century). Going with the first part of your question, the repertoire of Charles Nicholson the younger should give us a good clue as to the range of Rudall and Rose flutes in the first half of the 19th century. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about his repertoire…perhaps someone else does?
Well, to get all nit-picky, the common practice of moving the stopper closer to the embouchure hole to further facilitate fourth octave playing in charanga seems to me a modification of the original (19th c.) design of the flute. (On the other hand, that is the “design” for 20th c. charanga playing. So what was my point…? Final score: rh 1, Tintin 0.)
So yes, rh, you’re right, French flutes and charanga-style playing in particular demonstrate the upper range abilities of the simple-system flute very nicely.
pardon the interruption. please carry on.
Right, I was aware of charanga, and what I had in mind
(though it’s a fair answer, of course) are the flutes
we play in ITM.
I can go up to the third octave A but so far no higher.
This on most of the flutes I’ve played.
Others?
Also we do have some of these old flutes.
Owners/players, how high can you go?
in the section on scales of charles nicholson’s flute tutor, there is the assertion that the ‘extent of the instrument is’ followed by the line/staff/dots indicating three octaves (‘c’ scale) up to fourth octave ‘c’.
his detail fingering instruction on each note follows, where he gives a few options to finger notes, depending on small/large hole flute and the passage of notes that a particular note might be found in. written for the at least the 8key flute.
because of compromises involved to achieve a wider range of notes, many modern day makers of flutes for itm will focus on the lower registers, ironing out notes to better suit the modern scale (a440) of d and g without keys.
also, tom aebi had a good simple explanation of why he offers original rr tuning and itm tuning on his rr model flutes.
Thanks.
So I suppose the Aebi original tuning flute will go up
to the fourth octave C.
yes tom’s rr model flute w/ orig. tuning is based on ‘the progression of internal tuning’ and can go up to C4 with a moderately flexible embouchure.
however he omits unnecessary compromises between notes of third octave and lower registers to bring internal tuning more in line for itm on his modified rr model (in particular E3 and relation to aperture of third tonehole); although the high notes can still be hit, but with more complex fingering than the original model.
the above is taken from a document i received from tom describing his flutes (paraphrased by me).