you are playing a modern replica, contact the maker and ask what type of oil was used when the flute was crafted. It would be logical to use the same oil. Almond, canola, peanut, and olive oil are among the oils preferred today.
Linseed oil has been somewhat controversial, both in the eighteenth century and today. Lindsay (1828–30) recommended oiling the bore of the flute with cold-drawn linseed oil with a feather. However, Tromlitz (1791) found linseed oil to have too much substance and said it is known to form a crust inside the flute which changes the bore and spoils the flute. Flute maker Rod Cameron warns against the use of linseed oil, saying it is a hardening oil. Flute maker Ardal Powell reports that some makers of modern replicas use raw (not boiled) linseed oil as a finish because it forms a water repellent skin; these flutes can subsequently be oiled with raw linseed oil or other oils. I recommend avoiding the use of linseed oil unless it is recommended by your flute maker.
Before you begin to oil the flute, be sure the wood is dry—don't oil the flute immediately after you've played it. To protect the key pad from being damaged by oil, remove the key. Then be sure the key hole is free of oil before replacing the key. Or you may follow the advice of Lindsay (1828–30), who recommends placing a piece of paper, doubled, under the key pad before the oil is applied to keep the pad from absorbing the oil. Also consider removing the cork in the head joint before you begin oiling.
Now you are ready to oil the flute. First wrap an ordinary pipe cleaner around the end of a wooden chopstick to form a tight spiral about 1.25 inches (3 centimeters) long. Dip the stick into the oil and wipe it partially dry, then use it as a paintbrush in a spiral screw-thread motion down and through the bore of each joint. Tromlitz (1791) cautions us to use oil sparingly, saying that too much oil deprives the wood of its elasticity and damages the tone.
After letting the oil sit inside the bore of the flute for about half an hour, wipe out any excess with a paper towel rolled around a wooden chopstick.
Tromlitz (1791, p. 40) admonishes those who, believing that oil improves the tone, apply an excessive amount so that “it runs about inside” the flute.
1 See Trornlitz, Unterricht (1791), transl. Powell, 33–37 to learn how to wrap the tenons with thread.
2 See Tromlitz, Unterricht (1791), transl. Powell, 33 for a discussion of why the flute is thrown out of tune when exchanging the upper middle joints.
3 Traverso-player Christopher Krueger told me that most surviving eighteenth-century flutes with corps de réchange show significant wear on only one corp, and the playing characteristics vary considerably with each one. Personal communication, October, 1997. Also see Tromlitz, Unterricht (1791), transl. Powell, 33–37 for more information about corps de réchange.
CHAPTER II
LEARNING TO PLAY THE ONE-KEYED FLUTE
Illustration from Jacques Hotteterre, Principes de la flûte traversière….
Paris: Christophe Ballard, 1707.
Engraving by Bernard Picart. Perhaps a portrait of Jacques Hotteterre.
ON GETTING STARTED
He who wishes to excel in music must feel in himself a perpetual and untiring love for it, a willingness and eagerness to spare neither industry nor pains, and to bear steadfastly all the difficulties that present themselves in this mode of life.
Quantz (1752, p. 15)
You are embarking on a mission to learn a instrument totally different from the modern flute. The one-keyed flute is not inferior to the modern Boehm-system flute, as has been suggested by some twentieth-century writers; it is merely different. The flute in its one-keyed version suited the needs of music and musical expression for well over one hundred years. It is our challenge to explore that expressive capacity.
In this exploration, it is important to study the early flute tutors, for there is much to be learned. This text is full of references to the more important eighteenth-century tutors. However, we cannot simply mimic historical evidence, as ideas changed over the years and much of this historical information is conflicting. So in addition to studying historical references, the player will find it both necessary and rewarding to take cues from the flute itself and from its music, and to be influenced by the work done by players all over the world who have found a personal expression and brought this wooden flute to life in concerts and recordings.
How to Proceed
If you allow yourself time to learn the instrument before you expect too much, you won't be disappointed. Set aside a little time each day. In six months time you will be able to play pieces in the easier keys.
Assembly
Don't feel it necessary to arrange the embouchure hole and the tone holes in a straight line when you assemble the flute. Experiment to see what works best for you. Both Quantz (1752) and Devienne (c. 1792) tell us not to align the holes. Instead, they recommend that the head joint be turned inward so that the outer edge of the embouchure hole is in line with an imaginary line drawn down the center of the finger holes (see illustrations below by Tulou, 1853). This in effect allows the tone holes to be turned out, making it somewhat easier for the left hand to cover the open tone holes.
Rotate the head joint in slightly
If the flute is of the four-piece variety, you may align the tone holes, or you may choose to turn the lower-middle joint in toward your right hand. This position may benefit the hand position of the right hand. The foot joint should be rotated into a position that allows the little finger to easily reach the key.
Rotate the lower-middle joint and the foot joint
ON HOLDING THE FLUTE
One must, by all means, observe not to make grimaces or to have ridiculous posture. The flute, being a noble instrument, is to be played in an agreeable manner.
Corrette (c. 1734, p. 26)
The modern Boehm-system flute and one-keyed flute differ in ways that affect how the one-keyed flute feels under the fingers. (1) First, the spacing of the tone holes is different. The tone holes of both the modern flute and the one-keyed flute are placed to allow for the best possible intonation. However, the one-keyed flute does not have sophisticated key work designed to accommodate the fingers as does the modern flute. The result is that the fingers must reach farther to cover some of the open holes. A beginning player is often frustrated while learning where the holes are under the fingers. (2) The thumb of the left hand has a different function. It must remain free on the modern flute to operate the b-keys. However, because there are no thumb-keys on the one-keyed flute, one may choose to hold the flute firmly with the thumb and first finger of the left hand, which forms a point of equilibrium. (3) The e-flat key is depressed for nearly all notes on the modern flute. Since it is depressed only occasionally
