Читать книгу Method for the One-Keyed Flute - Janice Dockendorff Boland - Страница 9

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 So in addition to studying historical references, the player will find it both necessary and rewarding to take cues from the flute itself and from its music, and to be influenced by the work done by players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 on the one-keyed flute, the player's sense of balance in holding the instrument may be affected.

Physical Problems

A word about care of the hands. Sadly, we all too frequently hear of musicians whose hands cease working properly for them—they encounter physical problems that create pain and dysfunction. You should know that some of these injured musicians report that the trouble started when they moved to a different or new instrument, therefore giving the muscular system something new to deal with. I broach this fearful subject as a way of cautioning you to begin the one-keyed flute, new to you and to your muscular system, slowly and with care. You will thank yourself later if you take the time in the first several weeks to develop a relaxed physical approach to finger placement.

Since the tone holes of the one-keyed flute are farther apart than on modern flute, the fingers are required to achieve a broader stretch to cover the open holes. Avoid tensing the hands. Think instead of flopping the hand onto the flute and letting the fingers spread in a passive way to reach the holes. Try not to stretch the fingers laterally. Don't feel it necessary to hold the fingers directly over their designated holes when the holes are not in use; allow the hand to relax when the fingers are resting above the flute. Most of all, don't do anything that results in pain.

Left Hand

Lay the flute on the first (index) finger of the left hand so that it rests on the knuckle of the lowest joint. The index finger and the thumb support the flute. The first three fingers of the left hand cover tone holes 1, 2, and 3. The first and second fingers will be curved and the third a bit straighter. The little finger should not rest on the flute.

Right Hand

The right thumb is placed under the fourth tone hole or a little farther down the flute. The thumb should be set in the same place each time to ensure the proper position of the right fingers over their holes.

The first three fingers of the right hand cover tone holes 4, 5, and 6. Let the tips of the fingers of the right hand flop over the flute somewhat in a hand position you would consider incorrect on the modern flute; you will find that you can cover the holes more easily at a point closer to the first joint. One eighteenth-century flutist (Miller, c. 1799, p. 2) recommends covering the holes about an inch from the tip end of the finger, adding, “I never knew a Performer [to] have brilliant execution who covered the holes of the right hand with the tip ends of his fingers.” An inch seems excessive to me, but experiment to see what is right for you.

Keep the little finger of the right hand relaxed and don't rest it on the flute when this finger is not in use. There is no need to keep the little finger extended in a ready-position to depress the key—such a position can only lead to physical problems. Some eighteenth-century flutists have dispensed bad advice regarding the placement of the little finger. Hotteterre (1707, p. 36) says that it should be “placed on the flute between the 6th hole and the molding of the foot.” Corrette (c. 1734, p. 25) claims that the little finger is “well extended so that it will always be ready to press down the key.” My advice is to ignore the advice of Hotteterre and Corrette. Keeping the hand healthy is a top priority.

checklist

Now that the fingers are in place, use this Checklist as a guide to using the fingers properly once they are set into motion.

Keep the fingers relaxed.

Raise and lower the fingers “so as not to shake the flute, or produce or communicate any jerk or shock” (Gunn, c. 1793, p. 12).

Allow approximately one-half inch between the finger and the open hole. Gunn (c. 1793) recommends lifting the fingers one-half inch above the tone holes. If the finger is allowed to hover too close to its open holes, the pitch of some notes will be flattened considerably and the clarity of the tone impaired.

Don't overuse the key. A habit of overuse is sometimes formed when the player attempts to hold the flute more firmly or subconsciously attempts to duplicate Boehm-system flute fingerings. Depressing the key will cause certain notes in the middle range to be quite sharp.

An Interesting Side Line

Michel Blavet (1700–1768) was one flutist who actually played the flute left handed; that is, he held the flute to the left, using the right hand to cover the holes nearest the embouchure hole. Try this for fun! It was not, however, a recommended style, even in the eighteenth century. Hotteterre (1707, p. 38) writes:

There are others who…hold the flute to the left. I will not absolutely condemn this position of the hands, since you can play as well in this way as in the other, and there would be difficulties in trying to change it. But those who have not yet contracted this bad habit must take care not to fall into it.

ON TONE

And as that Instrument is allowed to be the finest which approaches nearest to the human Voice, the German Flute, from its sweetness and delicacy of Tone, undoubtedly claims a superiority over all others.

Wragg (1792, p. 1)

The tone of the one-keyed flute is quite different from that of the modern Boehm-system flute. We can be guided to an appropriate tone for this instrument (1) by considering the nature of the flute itself, (2) by listening to today's one-keyed flutists, (3) by reading eighteenth-century tutors, and (4) by experimentation.

First consider the nature of the flute itself. The one-keyed flute is designed with a conical bore which is smaller than that of the modern flute. The holes cut for the embouchure and fingers are also smaller. These characteristics are contributing factors to the one-keyed flute's inherently sweeter, quieter, less brilliant sound. Be prepared for these more delicate sounds. One-keyed flutes are made from a variety of materials, which also affect the tone quality. Quantz (1752, p. 50) tells us that a weak tone results from a flute made from porous and light wood, a narrow interior bore, and thin wood; a “thick and masculine” tone requires the opposite features.

Your concept of tone will be rightly influenced by listening to concerts and recordings of today's players of the one-keyed flute. Find good models to imitate, for example, Barthold Kuijken, Wilbert Hazelzet, Stephen Preston, Christopher Krueger, Sandra Miller, Konrad Hünteler, Stephen Schultz, Masahiro Arita, Janet See, and Frans Brüggen. As soon as possible, locate a teacher with whom to study, either privately or by attending master classes.

It is difficult to describe musical sound by way of the written word. However, we can get hints by reading how eighteenth-century flutists described flute tone. Keep in mind that the concept of flute tone undoubtedly differed from player to player and from country to country, even more so than it does today. And concepts changed as time progressed. The quotes that follow are presented in chronological order to give you an idea how the passage of time may have affected the concept of the flutist's tone. The overriding similarity among eighteenth-century sources is that the flute tone should imitate the human voice.

Quantz (1752, p. 50) described the most pleasing tone as one which more nearly resembles a contralto than a soprano and challenged the player to produce “a clear, penetrating, thick, round, masculine, and withal pleasing sound.”

Mahaut, writing in 1759 (p. 5), said “the tone is full, round, and clear. It is beautiful when, in addition, [it] is soft, delicate, resonant, and graceful.”

Arnold (1787, p. 25) preferred “a full, round, and sonorous tone.”

Tromlitz (1791, p. 111) said

…the only model on which an instrumentalist should form his tone is a beautiful human voice…one that is bright, full and resonant, of masculine strength, but not shrieking; soft, but not hollow; in short, for me a beautiful voice is full of timbre, rounded, singing, soft, and flexible.

At the end of the century, Gunn (c. 1793) reported conflicting schools of thought regarding tone quality and described two approaches to flute tone. The first stressed a bold, trumpet-like tone, with equal fullness of tone on every note. The second favored a soft tone, a graceful and tender expression with an affinity to the female voice. Gunn himself said that the second method was in some respect correct, but playing exclusively with that tone quality resulted in a monotonous performance. He favored a tone with variety, incorporating as many tone colors as the music demanded.

Finally, experiment for yourself. Be sensitive to the instrument as you play. The flute will help guide you. Ask yourself where the flute speaks and sings at its best.

Checklist

Several adjustments must be made as a player makes the transition from the modern flute to the one-keyed flute.

Play without vibrato. (See On Vibrato on page 31.)

Manipulate the air stream. Experiment with raising and lowering the air pressure, rolling in or out, and adjusting the embouchure to produce the best tone and proper pitch of each individual note.