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Many players starting out often feel overwhelmed by the myriad of traverso models available, not knowing how to invest in one's first or next instrument. There are so many great makers making all different models of flutes now, and that is truly a wonderful thing! Resin or composite materials aside, if you're thinking about investing in a wooden traverso, here are some of my thoughts on the choice of models and wood types:
- Since flute makers back then made instruments according to the time that they lived in, the instruments will always reflect the current musical fashion and tastes of its time. Combining that also with personal preferences and playing technique, there will be hardly an instrument that's "perfect". This is most challenging for people starting out, and I get it. I usually advise people that, if you're not especially in a hurry, to just try as many different flutes by different makers as you can. Often times early music festivals are a great place for that with their instrument exhibitions. Many traverso makers exhibit at places like Utrecht, London, Boston, or also smaller festivals like Bad Kissingen or Regensburg (EVEN at the National Flute Association's Convention, plus for sure many others which I just can't think of right now!), and it's just a great way to try flutes back to back to get good comparisons. Also, makers will often have flutes directly for sale at the exhibition, so you'd be sure to get the instrument that you tried. Make a trip out of it, enjoy all the exciting concerts and programs, and hopefully pick up your next dream flute that way! - Irrespective of your playing level, you'll get a sense of two things when trying out instruments - how the flute sounds and how it feels to play it. You have to like BOTH OF THESE criteria in order for the flute to be a truly good fit for you. I understand it might be difficult, but try to set aside any pre-notions such as the popularity of a model or what you hear other people say. The flute has to work for YOU. - Most people hope to, understandably, have an instrument which can play a wide range of repertoire. If you're looking for a baroque flute, keep in mind that flutes from the earlier part of the 18th century will tend to favor the lower and middle register, whereas later flutes will have a stronger, "easier" upper register. However, an earlier flute should still allow you to play solidly up to E3, and the few notes above that may require a bit of technical finesse and know-how. I see that as actually a GOOD THING for our technical development, and often times this slight trade-off is really worth it because you'll have a flute which is truly representative of its time, and there's tremendous satisfaction to be gained from that. Realistically speaking, those few upper notes will hardly be encountered in much of the repertoire, and we will only deepen our flute-playing skills by learning from these instruments. - A related aspect is, of course, what's the purpose of acquiring a traverso. There are so many possible reasons, think about what's realistic in your case and which flute will serve that purpose best. - A personal suggestion I'd like to offer is, say if you want to have that mellow warmness of an earlier flute but still have a certain brilliancy, inquire whether the model can be made with ebony or grenadilla. Most of these earlier flutes exist originally in boxwood, but there are some which also exist in other woods, or that the maker offers to make it as such. However, be aware that ebony tends to crack, and we seem to be in a time where it's very difficult to find good-quality ebony these days. BUT ABOVE ALL, it's IMPORTANT THAT YOU TRY THE FLUTE YOURSELF FIRST and make your own judgement! These heavier woods will have more resistance compared to boxwood and not everyone likes that either. For low-pitch flutes like a Hotteterre and others, I actually find that boxwood again is more suitable (for me!) to counter balance the low pitch (392 or 400 etc.) with flexibility and ease of play.
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 In my recent interview with Eva Legêne, we mentioned the drawings of Charles Le Brun illustrating the "passions of the soul".
This is a great way to understand the concept of affect in music, baroque or otherwise. When we play music according to an affect or emotion, every interpretive decision will be based on delivering just that, whether in terms of articulation, dynamics, sound color etc. And this is just like in drawing or painting, every stroke of the brush/pen/pencil will be in service of showing that particular expression. Notice the shadows, the lines of the face muscles, the eyes....nothing is just random! For those interested in seeing more of those highly expressive drawings, you can view them HERE. (leads to the scan of Le Brun's book "Méthode pour apprendre à dessiner les passions", hosted by the Digital Library of Munich, MDZ. Follow link to view or download).
If only Gustav Leonhardt had recorded the other movements of the Bach Partita! There's so much depth in this rendition, whether in terms of sound quality, understanding, and internalization of the music that I feel like you really get a glimpse of the universe.✨
While we can't play more notes than physically possible on the traverso, we can create some acoustical effects with the means that we DO have to expand our sound and expression. That means, understanding our instrument by experimenting with: ✅Slowing down the airspeed, reducing air pressure so that we get a pure tone with minimal noise around the sound. ✅Dropping the lower jaw and opening the nose to create more space and depth in the sound. ✅Training the lips to be flexible and knowing exactly how to move between registers. For example, the lips need to be a bit forward for the higher register, along with just a slightly higher air pressure. However, these are absolutely micro maneuvers which need to be internalized like a string player knowing exactly where to place the finger on the fingerboard. This feeling of security also requires great physical strength, which can only be built over time. Practicing with harmonics can be a good approach for this. Make sure you still create the best sound possible for the harmonic tones. ✅At the end, it's like a singer who knows where each note is coming from in their body. You can test this by going over the piece of music inside you without your instrument, perhaps also fingering along. Can you recreate that sensation of playing, can you feel how the air would move inside you, how the embouchure would feel, how and where each note would resonate in your body? I thought to use Bart Kuijken's recording of the Mozart C Major Flute Quartet as an example. Start from around 7:42 and listen especially to these phrases that involve only a few "simple" notes (the simpler the more difficult!). You'll hear that Bart's sound is completely calm, "straight" without the modern concept of vibrato, yet supple and flexible. It embodies musical tension which draws one's attention and leads you along note after note, phrase after phrase. Especially from the middle to higher register on the flute, we actually need an incredible amount of physical strength and support (strength in the embouchure and strength to manage the breath) so that it sounds elegant and deeply meaningful. It is the way for us to bring out the essence of the expression AND to experience maximum joy and connection with this music. This is the way to create what I like to call a 3-dimensional sound. As they say in German, "Strength lies in tranquility" (In der Ruhe liegt die Kraft)!
Meter, phrasing, and harmony are some of the possible factors that determine a note's length. Remember that notation is really a very limited way of suggesting how the music should actually sound. Beyond any rules or historical knowledge, I feel the best piece of advice I can give is to always think about what kind of AFFECT, what expression do you want to achieve with a piece of music. And then everything you do is to serve that expression.
So for example, in the above Andersen etude I wanted to show something joyful, light, moving, something bouncing between the ground and the sky. So my point was to utilize different types of short articulation to create those effects and affects. You won't get this idea by simply looking at the sheet music and it would be almost impossible to notate every nuance. And since articulation is always in connection with how you manage your air, both the tongue and the breath give each note a definitive shape, length, and timbre. So always listen and observe carefully whether the tongue and the breath are really coordinating together to achieve one goal, one expression, or whether they're a little out of sync with each other. Coming back to notation, if we accept that notation is only a rough way of suggesting how a piece of music should basically go, then it's not far from understanding inégalité. The subject is complex but I want to mention one instance in regard to this topic. You see above a typical cadence (from Boismortier's Op. 35, E minor suite). After the cadential trill, the first G we play is known as an anticipation. As the name suggests, it anticipates the final note and thus should go towards it. Don't be influenced by the notation in thinking that you must play a proper 8th note, or think because baroque music has such an emphasis on articulation that we have to make that separation of the two G's distinctly. Also, even if you claim to not speak French, you probably know a bit more than you actually think you do. Think of words like "amour", "café", "merci" - or look them up in YouTube or any pronunciation site. Notice how in these words the first syllable also slides smoothly towards the second syllable. That's how we should play such a cadential pattern. This is also why using the tonguing pattern "TU-RU" is extremely helpful and, ultimately, natural. Compare by playing it with two equal tongue strokes and you'll notice the difference. Compare also if you would try to "soften" the 8th note but still playing with two equal tongue strokes, you may even find your tongue nevertheless naturally wanting to retract to create an alternation in the tonguing. And one last thing but crucial in this formula, be sure to diminuendo, lighten up the breath as you play the "TU-RU" into the cadence. Notice in the French words mentioned above, they all sound somewhat open-ended. We don't have a definitive "stop" to the sound. Many French words act this way, even if there are letters at the end. (think of the composer's name "Blavet", "croissant", "toujours"...). The diminuendo we do is in response to creating and imitating that subtlety. Try this out and let me know what you find!
This is the opening of Michel Blavet's Gigue en Rondeau. The first measure immediately sets the tone of this composition in a very striking way, as we don't get a clear indication of the key (E minor) which we'd normally expect at the beginning of a piece. Compare this with a Gigue en Rondeau in E minor by Rameau and see how clearly E minor is established in our ears. Instead in Blavet's piece, we have these triplet patterns which move down in 1/2 steps, and a constant outlining of a minor 6th, both as the ambitus of the triplet as well as an interval within a triplet. We hear neither a clear outline of an E minor chord nor a definite tonic-dominant relationship right away. This is why this piece sounds so mysterious, ambiguous, and fascinating at the same time. Baroque theorists had different things to say about the relationship between intervals and affect, but it was definitely on people's minds back then. Next time you hear a minor 6th prominently, think about whether it recalls a melancholy feeling for you. For me, I'm reminded of Chopin's Waltz in C# Minor, Op. 64, if you hear it you'll know what I'm talking about! Below is my lecture on this piece: |
ABOUT THE BLOG:I got inspired to document my own observations in flute-playing and music-making. Also, I thought it's important to pass on the teachings of the great Wilbert Hazelzet, as well as many other mentors who have influenced my artistic visions one way or the other. Enjoy this potpourri of tips, inspirations, and musings. ✨CONTRIBUTE!✨Yes I love the writing that I do! If you love them as well, how about consider showing your appreciation with a personal contribution? 
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