World War One

World War One

History

One of the most loved solo instruments since the 10th century, the flute, has changed in construction since then so that it may be able to comply with our demanding musical techniques today. The flute is considered in the woodwind insturments of which the sound is created from air vibrations. Throughout the world, different cultures have interpreted their own types of flutes according to their needs. The history of the flute can be divided into five sections: Primitive (Middle Ages), Renaissance, Baroque, Classical/Romantic, and Twentieth Century. During each of these periods, the flute changed in construction and the material it is made of to meet the needs of whoever played it.
Before the 1800's, the flute had the Bb, F, C, D, D#, and G# keys, but the flute was still very inadequate. During the Classical period, Pratton, Clinton, Carte, Siccama, and Radcliff contributed to redesigning the flute. Richard Potter increased the length of the flute which allowed the D# and middle C keys to be added. The flute only contained six keys before the 1800's, but soon after that, two more keys were added making the C and F notes. The flute now contained eight keys. In the late eighteenth century, the flute was altered so much and so quickly that few people continued to play the three and four keyed flutes. They preferred the eight keys or double and alternate keyed flutes.
The fluteā€™s quality used to be so limited because the holes were placed in the wrong positions where they could be reached easily, not where they actually sounded good. In 1820-30, flutist Charles Nicholson in London tried to improve the flute by making larger holes, but was not entirely successful because the key mechanism was not right. A German flutist, composer, and industrialist, Theobald Boehm, studied the newer techniques of flute making and in 1831 based a whole new system on them and invented the type of flute that became the basis for the modern instrument a little more than a...

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