Regarding a Monzani flute

[Lozq]

Hi all,

I'm considering purchasing this Monzani flute.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Monzani-Flu ... ion=4%7C10

I've been looking for something keyed for a while; between a lack of enthusiasm for wait lists and a fondness for well preserved old things I'm very tempted. The seller describes it as "...There are some very minor knocks and chips as you would expect for a flute of this age, however overall it's in very good condition and it plays well. Pitch-wise it plays at A=440 with the slide pulled out approximately 0.5cm, and could potentially be lowered further for period instrument performance if required, with some adjustment to the screw-cork. With the slide pushed fully in, sits between A and B flat at 440...". I've dredged the internet for first-hand accounts of playing these flutes, and haven't found a great deal of information. Lot's of stuff ABOUT Monzani flutes, praising their keywork, design, innovation etc. But not much about how they actually play in a modern setting.

I'm prepared for 'slightly more work than a modern flute' but I don't want to own an instrument that is going to require constant effort to play in tune (well, any more effort than a modern flute) or that struggles to be heard outside of quiet recitals in ladies' drawing rooms.

I'm probably seriously overthinking this, but I already own a (modern) keyless I'm very happy with and I don't want to purchase this just to end up with a beautiful, well-preserved, historically interesting instrument that I never play because it's too much of a hassle.

In short: Is this Monzani flute a good choice for someone looking for a keyed instrument to play in 2021?

Kind regards,

Loz

[tstermitz]

With the slide pushed fully in, sits between A and B flat at 440

I'm not quite sure what that means. If you pull the slide out a little, does that mean it would "sit between A and Bb" at a 435? Still makes no sense.

Obviously, If you pull the slide out, the flute becomes more flat, so maybe the seller is trying to say that you need to open the slide a little to get to A440, which would be pretty normal.

Here is a nice discussion from Hammy Hamilton on a Monzani flute:

http://hammy-flutemaker.blogspot.com/20 ... -last.html

[jim stone]

If it were me I would ask your questions of the seller, who seems sensible. Is the flute internally in tune? What does it sound like? Are there any issues? I wouldn't necessarily finish there, but it seems a good place to start.

[Flutern]

With the slide pushed fully in, sits between A and B flat at 440

I'm not quite sure what that means. If you pull the slide out a little, does that mean it would "sit between A and Bb" at a 435? Still makes no sense.

The wording is a bit convoluted, but the way I understand it is that if you play an A with the slide fully in, the pitch of the resulting note would be between A and Bb if you take A=440 as a reference. I guess that means it plays somewhere around A=453 with the slide fully in.

Hi all,

I'm considering purchasing this Monzani flute.

[...]

In short: Is this Monzani flute a good choice for someone looking for a keyed instrument to play in 2021?
Loz

I don't know about this particular flute, but there's a 6-key William Hall on the Irish Flute Store in the same price range. I used to have a similar flute (Firth, Pond & Co.) and its intonation was quite good at modern pitch. (I have nothing to do with the sale of this flute, just thought it might be worth considering given your desiderata.)

Edit: the flute appears to have been sold...

[Lozq]

I'm not quite sure what that means. If you pull the slide out a little, does that mean it would "sit between A and Bb" at a 435? Still makes no sense.

I figured the same as gwuilleann, that with the slide fully closed the resultant pitch of an 'A' was somewhere between an A and a Bb (assuming A=440).

Here is a nice discussion from Hammy Hamilton on a Monzani flute:

I stumbled across this already, but reread it and noticed that Hammy says towards the end "Like many instruments of the period, and unlike later mid 19th century English flutes, it plays easily at modern pitch, and the very short barrel tube extension indicates that it was not intended that it play over a large pitch range." That's promising, and in accord with what the seller wrote in the description. Very, very promising!

If it were me I would ask your questions of the seller, who seems sensible.

That's my next port of call, although as he's already stated that it 'plays well at 440' I feel like any follow up will just confirm that. Not to suggest that he's doing anything dodgy, but when buying an instrument unseen I feel that getting as broad a collection of opinions (however vague they might be) is a good idea.

I'm really quite tempted to just buy it, I suspect it wouldn't be too hard to resell if I find it's not what I'm looking for. And if I lose a few dollars in the process, such is life. But first I'll shoot the seller a message and see what he has to say about things - he might say 'ITM? Hah, good luck! That's why I'm selling the things, bloody useless for it!' and that'll be that. We shall see.

[Lozq]

I've just messaged the seller, making it clear my plans for the instrument and asking about relative volume, how easily it plays in 440, whether it requires venting on F# and E and whether he considers it a suitable instrument for ITM. It's 10am in the UK now, so hopefully I might get an answer sometime this antipodean evening.

[jim stone]

I have been playing (and buying) flutes for a couple of decades and I ask the seller these questions as standard practice, no implications of anything. I also ask if there are any issues I should know about. Also I standardly say that my intention is to keep the flute but I would like the option of playing it for a few days and returning it (at my expense) if it turns out not to be for me. Standard business practice, as far as I'm concerned. My relations with these people are quite cordial.