Siccama System Flutes

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Uni Flute
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Re: Siccama System Flutes

Post by Uni Flute »

Thank you RudallRose for sharing your knowledge on Siccama flutes. The flute I was thinking of is number 400, it's about halfway down the page on the following link : http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/Sicc_Ext.htm

It's interesting That John Hudson later teamed up with Robert Sydney Pratten and the Boosey company to start Producing the Pratten's Perfected flutes, it would certainly help to explain their unprecedented powerful tone.

So do we know whether or not the earlier Siccama flutes, like the one in the link above, were made by John Hudson, even though the keys look stylistically very different?
Tonehole
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Re: Siccama System Flutes

Post by Tonehole »

Paul Davies played on the one listed in Terry's website - this Boosey & Hawkes Siccama has a powerful sound (it's a Pratten Perfected bore) and a longer scale length than the one you've quoted at no.400. It was owned by Paul Davies and sold after his passing by his widow via Arthur Haswell and plays at 440Hz at approximately 8mm tenon extension so a shorter scale length than this might still make it to A=440Hz.

The glissandi technique on the Siccama key is unusual - lipping and bending this way is easier. Perhaps it is not the kind of flute that springs to mind for D to E and A to G glissandi, however for the Bach Partita in A and the flute sonatas where the E note is weak and veiled in the standard conical bore simple system, this Siccama flute is just such a delight to play. I love mine - more than the keyed Rudall Rose classical cocuswood flutes which are sweet but limited for the very reason Siccama flutes were designed.

I love Siccama flutes for their acoustic perfection however I am more interested in classical (baroque) than folk music like ITM. I did ask Terry McGee if his plans to make the bore and flute available to his New Zealand flute maker colleague, Reviol, to block mount as an alto Siccama flute would be possible. Reviol agreed however heard nothing further from Terry, since there was no other interest in this a few years ago. The interest in Siccama flute is limited to a few enthusiasts like us but maybe one day a brave flutemaker will revive the Siccama design :)

Hope you find some fun with Siccamas. The Hudson design is different. Pamelasmusic sold theirs to a USA buyer over a year ago. Boosey & Hawkes had several iterations of the Siccama -the Pratten Perfected version is really delightful if you can find it.
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