A Question Of History

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WireHarp
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A Question Of History

Post by WireHarp »

Well ABOUT history actually...

Would anyone have an approximate date of when flute makers started to use posts for keys
instead of blocks? I have an English flageolet made of boxwood with posts and for the life of me
can't find any infon on when the beast might have been made. (No marks, of course..).
Thanks in advance.

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Flutesoftheforest
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Re: A Question Of History

Post by Flutesoftheforest »

Post, or pillar, mounting was included in flute maker CLAUDE LARENT's 1806 patent for glass flutes. So the concept was inplace most certainly at that time.
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Re: A Question Of History

Post by bigsciota »

The Boston MFA has a Firth and Pond from c1830 with post mounted keys and a Laurent crystal flute c1837 again with posts. So at the very least, post mounting was common enough by the 1830s.
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Terry McGee
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Re: A Question Of History

Post by Terry McGee »

"So at the very least, post mounting was common enough by the 1830s."

But, I suspect, not used routinely in England until much later. Interesting, eh? I have a Rudall Carte flute, #7120, which I think I've dated as 1998, block mounted. Think of all those Pratten flutes, post 1855, block mounted. But then Siccama, post mounted from the early days, although his patent document (1845) shows options, including hybrid (some blocks, some posts). Some other companies did Siccama flutes with block mounting for all the normally-closed keys, and post mounting for the normally-open keys.

I think the reality was that block mounting was a perfectly satisfactory technology for flutes with mostly normally-closed keys (read 8-key flutes). Flutes with normally-open keys (eg Siccama G and D keys) were more reliable in post mounting. But later on, post mounting became a cheaper technology for all keys. Am I remembering correctly that Boosey flutes (1857->) used all post mounting?

Incidentally, in some record books, what we call "blocks" are referred to as "knobs"!
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Re: A Question Of History

Post by jjdura »

Terry McGee wrote: I have a Rudall Carte flute, #7120, which I think I've dated as 1998
Must be one of their more recent flutes!

John Dura :pint:
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Terry McGee
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Re: A Question Of History

Post by Terry McGee »

Oh dear, touché. That will be 1898, of course. Still one of their more recent flutes!

What with all the 19th century flute research, my enjoyment of Dickens, Hardy etc, I think I spend as much time in that century as the following two. I guess it shows....
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