Development Of 20th Century Flute Music In Britain

DEVELOPMENT OF 20th CENTURY FLUTE MUSIC IN BRITAIN

The Flute in Britain and where else in Europe had an amazing transformation in technique and style in to the 20th Century. With the physical evolution of the instrument and the new conception of style, composers started to concentrate more on the quality timbres and techniques that the new flute could now produce. Variety of the quality of tone became central concerns with the vibrato being integrate part of the tone. The conception of the flutist-composers declined significantly. Performers started to dedicate themselves to the techniques of the new instrument and generate more and more the idea of professional flautist. In Britain the flute music style of the beginning of the century absorbed much of the lyricism and tunefulness of the traditional, folk derived style of Ralph Vaughan Williams contradicting to the French style that was spreading around Europe and the World.

The transformation from the traditional wooden conical flute to the new metal cylindrical Boehm-system flute was definitely the strongest factor for the renovation of the flute-playing. This transformation came to happen in very slow motion and, countries like Germany and Austria did not accept the new Blunderbusses as described by Wagner until late into the century. For them the tradition of the wooden conical flute was fundamental and by the beginning of 1853 the new models from Meyer of Hanover (1814-97), similar to the nine key flute of the period, wooden conical bore, and different placement and size of tone holes and embouchure, was established. Jeremy Montagu states on the new grove music online:

Flutes following his concept were known as Meyer flutes or old-system flutes to distinguish them from Boehm system flute they were immensely popular in the second half of the 19th century and the flute parts in orchestral works by Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Mahler and Richard Strauss. They remained standard in the symphony orchestra until about 1930 and in military bands even later.

By the late 19th Century, some players had remained true to their first instruments while others had changed to new models. These new models were not just Boehm models but also models that combined characteristics of both the Boehm flute and old wooden conical flute with perfect compromise between the old fingering system and the new system. Among them were: Richard Carte s model of 1867, R. S. Rockstro and John Radcliff models, Briccialdi s flute of 1870/71, Pratten s Perfected made by R.S. Partten(1814-62) and instruments by Thibouville, Abel Siccama (1810-65), John Clitton, Tulou/Nonon and Giorg. In Britain, the new flute from Boehm was accepted much more easily than in other countries. The reason for this probably was the smoother technique, greater dynamic range and better intonation that the Boehm s instrument could offer which was much more adequate to the strong, trumpet-like British style of flute playing. On the other hand, the Carte s model of 1867 achieved a great popularity in Europe and was most widely used in Britain and its colonies after Boehm s model well into the 20th Century.

By the end of World War II, the British Flautists were the most flexible players in Europe in term of which model to use. While the Germans were just starting to play wooden Boehm-system flutes and the French had already establish on the metal Boehm flute since 1860, British flutist were dividing themselves between the Cartel model of 1867, a flute by Radcliff and a Boehm flute of silver, wood or ebonite. However, of these three national schools , the French were surely the most advanced on flute playing, cultivating finesse in tone production and colour, while the German and English players concentrated on tonal power by the turn of the century the French style became dominant and was transferred to North America and around Europe. Jeremy Montagu describes this happening in the new music grove on line :

The French style became dominant, and the recordings, teaching and concert tours of French performers hastened the change from wooden Boehm-system flutes [and others] to silver flutes Americans firms founded by W.S. Haynes and V. Q. Powell began to make French-style flutes in the USA and, from the 1930 s, in Japan, where Koichi Muramatsu began to make flutes inspired by Haynes and Powell.

These changes of style and techniques strongly reflected on the way of composing for the flute. British composers of the turn of the century began to extent their writing for the flute in aspects such as range, dynamic contrast, colour, technique, and style. One example that introduced most of these changes was Arnold Bax (1883-1953) Elegiac trio (1926) for flute, viola, and harp. It involves a large range of notes, various dynamic contrasts, techniques that would only be possible in the Boehm system flutes and in style, combined the chromatic interest of late German romanticism with Elgar and Debussy..

By this time English composers were also writing for the others members of the Flute family which were becoming known due to the development of manufacturing, giving the flute repertoire more variety and colour.

First example is Arthur Bliss (1891-1975). Using brilliant orchestration to separate the parts, as did Stravinsky, he wrote Conversation (1920) for flute alternating with bass flute, oboe alternating with English horn, and string Trio. This was one of the first time that a English composer had ever written for bass flute role and proves how the Boehm system flute and its family was unquestionably dominant in the Great Britain.

After Bliss, it was time for Gordon Jacob (1895- ). Jacob was a particular talent for wind writing and was one of the first composers to write for the piccolo as a solo instrument. His first composition is The Pied Piper (1959) for unaccompanied flute and piccolo and then after that Trio (1960) for flute (alternating with piccolo), oboe and keyboard.

Other important compositions of the first half of the century were: Eugene Goossens (1893-1962) Five Impression of a Holiday (1914) for flute, cello and piano Lennox Berkeley (1903- ) Sonatina (1940), a concerto (1952) and a Concertino (1955) for flute, violin, cello and keyboard which draw far more influences of Mozart, Chopin, Faur and Ravel than from English national represented by Vaughan Williams and Holst Malcolm Arnold (1921- ) Sonatine (1948) who was one of the first composers to introduce jazz style and flutter-tongue technique in the flute repertoire and Benjamin Britten (1913-76) his unique work for the flute Gemini Variations (1965) for Hungarian flute and violin duo.

After the World War II, the British and the rest of Europe experimented a considering change on the flute playing. Many composers such as Brahms and Mahler desired a flute tone that merged with the other instruments while conductors such as Herbert von Karajan required a penetrating sound and wide range in dynamics. The new French Boehm-system flute after Lot s, with closed keys, five of them perforated, made of silver, gold, ebonite, German silver or platinum with a slightly wider bore than earlier models (19mm) and a key for b, best fulfilled all these requirements and soon was predominant all over Europe.

Broadcast and recordings were amazingly spreading all over Europe just about this time. This was a fundamental fact for the spread of the French school of playing and its players. Great performers and teachers that followed the Taffanel school such as Adolphe Hennebains (1862-1914), Gaubert (1879-1941), Marcel Moyse (1889 -1984), Rene le Roy (1898-1985), and later Jean-Pierre Rampal(1922-2000), were the responsible for the virtually complete disappearance of the German and English dark, dense compact sound, without vibrato played in wooden flutes. Now the French school of playing was complete dominant, cultivating a smooth, rich, penetrating and brilliant sound, to which vibrato was commonly added.

All these changes that established after the World War II widely reflected the way that British composers wrote for the flute. With the new Boehm system flute established, the possibilities and ideas started to appear and the flute became one of the favourite instruments to write for. New combinations of flute and other instruments, complete use of the flute family (from piccolo to bass flute) many of them in solo roles, influence of blues and jazz, importance to woman composer, large range of notes (from c to d ), varied tones, and extreme dynamic contrast, were devices that British composers started to use after the 1950 s. Some examples on British composers are: Joyce Barrel Dialogues (1962) for flute and gamba: %%, Iain Hamilton Sonata for flautist and piano (1966) for flute/ piccolo/ alto flute/ bass flute and piano, Alan Bullard Duologues (1980) for flute and piano (range to d and use of flutter tongue), Howard Skempton Half Moon (1990) for flute and accordion, Shinuh Lee Norae (1992) for flute and alto flute duo, James Erber Trattenimento da Camera (2000) for 2 bass flutes.

Besides this list, we must quote Ruth Gipps (1921-99). She was one of the most respectable British woman composers of the century and one of the first to use the alto and bass flute in duos with the piano: Saint Francis Window (1986) for alto flute and piano and Cool Running Water (1991) for bass flute and piano. Cool Running Water (fig.1).treats the bass flute in traditional virtuoso way with extreme dynamic contrasts.

Perhaps the major fact that especially developed in the second half of the century was the use of avant-garde techniques. These techniques were developing all over Europe and North America but, especially in Britain. On the flute they include: inflected pitches such as hollow or weak tones, whistle tones, whisper tones, multiphonics, varied articulation such as flutter tongue (already used since beginning of century), humming tones, slap tones, and even vibrato instructions. Eventually, these techniques started to affect pitch as well: key vibrato and clip oscillation or smorzato (quarter tones trills), then quarter tone scales, other microtones, microtonal segment and finally into glissando. These techniques had a strong effect especially in the unaccompanied solo repertoire where composer used it as a vehicle of tonal variety.

The two great names that made Britain one of most advanced countries in avant-garde techniques are definitely, Brian Ferneyhough (1943- ) and Michael Finnissy (1946- ).

Michael Finnissy composer and pianist did not write much of his pieces for the flute but, his best example certainly is Ulpirra (1983) for bass flute solo. It involves extreme dynamic contrasts, use of varied articulation such as flutter tongue and whisper tones, quarter tones, key slaps and also some vibrato notations.

Brian Ferneyhough, however, wrote pieces for the flute that extremely extended the possibilities in the instrument. They are: Cassandra s Dream Song (1970) for flute solo, Unity Capsule (1976) for flute solo and Carceri d inenzione 2b (1985) also for flute solo. All these pieces utilize a complete range of avant-garde techniques from flutter-tongue (tongue and throat) and slap tones to quarter or even octave tone scales and glissando. Perhaps the pioneer, Cassandra s Dream Song (fig. 2) is the richest example involving vibrato indications, glissando multiphonics, singing while playing and many other techniques.

Other examples on British names and the avant-garde technique are: Enid Luff The Patchwork Miles (1995) for flute and clarinet, Ian Willcock Snare (1991) for bass flute and harp and Persistence (unknown year) for bass flute solo, Julia Usher Asolando (1980) for flute solo, James Saunders Preventing Fluidity (1998) for flute solo and Dai Fujikura Shadows Light (1998) for flute and orchestra and Ophelia (1999) for alto flute solo.

From around the 1970 s the flute was beginning to welcome a two new element in its repertoire: electronic sounds and the tape. The spread of the electro-acoustic music and the use of tapes with extended sounds proved that the flute went well with the electronics and for this reason led contemporary flute players like Samuel Baron to label the tape as a new continuo .

In Britain the first great examples are Simon Emmerson and Jonty Harrison. Jonty Harrison are very much in the tradition of Musique concrete, recording a natural sound and then transform and combine it electronically in a studio, for the flute he wrote Luftflut (1984) for flute and tape. Simon Emmerson is definitely the greatest name in electro-acoustic music in Britain and one of the greatest in the World. With over 30 compositions in this area, Emmerson has never written any piece that not involved the use of electronics and has won many international prizes for electro-acoustic music. For the flute and electronics he wrote Spirit of 76 (1976) for flute and accelerating tape delay and stand as one of the greatest pieces for the flute and electronics repertoire.

Other examples are: Brian Ferneyhough Menmosyne (1986) for bass flute and tape, Thea Musgrave Narcissus (1987) for flute and electronics: digital delay system, Gordon Ross Beating Time (1990) for flute, violoncello and electronics, Janet Beat Mandala (1990) for flute, synthesiser and electronics, Evelyn Ficarra Deuce (1993) for baroque flute, harp and tape, David Lesser Remembrances of Nothing (1996) for flute and tape and Stephen Montague Vlug (1992) for flute, tape and electronics.

It is amazingly clear how the British flute-playing has changed from the turn of a century to the other and how the conception of possibilities has got to a point that would never go through in the minds of composer of the 19th Century as music. But, have this temptation of novelty that leads composers and performers to the creation of technical innovation for its own sake rather than as a vehicle of musical expression been healthy for the flute playing? Could it possibly in future a flute piece have no complete of sense flute playing, like it can already be seen in some compositions? What about the Multiflute by Matuz-Nagy and the Quarter tone C flute by Oston-Brian Kingma, both for extended techniques such as multiphonics, and the introduction of lower flutes such as the contrabass, sub-contrabass and the Grossbass made in 1981 by Christian Jaeger? Is it part of a new era for the flute? Perhaps there is nothing to stop this feeling of novelty that not just effect the music environment but the whole planet and the human life. Yet, we can only hope that this feeling does not get to a point in which the art made by human hands will no longer exist.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

Montagu, Jeremy (1990) The Flute, Great Britain: Shire publications Ltd.

Toff, Nancy (1986) The development of the modern flute, New York: First University of Illinois Press.

Toff, Nancy (1996) The Flute Book, 2nd ed., New York: Oxford University Press.

WWW References

The Collection: Flute and orchestra, Flute duo and Flute solo. Online. Available from: http://www.bmic.co.uk. [Accessed on 02 November 2003]

Cross, Jonathan Michael Finnissy: Life and Works. Online. Available from http://www.grovemusic.com. [Accessed on 05 November 2003]

Halstead, Jill Ruth Gipps: Life and Works. Online. Available from http://www.grovemusic.com. [Accessed on 05 November 2003]

Montagu, Jeremy The Flute after Boehm. Online. Available from http://www.grovemusic.com. [Accessed on 28 October 2003]

Montagu, Jeremy The Modern Boehm Flute. Online. Available from http://www.grovemusic.com. [Accessed on 28 October 2003]

Montague, Stephen Jonty Harrison: Life and Works. Online. Available from http://www.grovemusic.com. [Accessed on 05 November 2003]

Montague, Stephen Simon Emmerson: Life and Works. Online. Available from http://www.grovemusic.com. [Accessed on 05 November 2003]

Toop, Richard Brian Ferneyhough: Life, Works and Composition Techniques. Online. Available from http://www.grovemusic.com. [Accessed on 05 November 2003]