Classical music on Irsh flute (with keys)?

[gerardo1000]

I saw Blayne from The Irish Flute Store demonstrate a 6 keys Irish flute (Galeon) and playing, among other pieces, a short sample of Bach Partita... so nice! And I wonder: do you play other music with your keyed Irish flute? Other than traditional Irish tunes? I am asking because I am studying the classic silver Bohem flute, but I am fascinated by some "simple system" flutes with added keys that are also fully chromatic, like 6 keys Irish flutes. I own two baroque flutes (with one key) that are great but not easy to play: lots ot cross fingering and lips/mouthpiece adjustments to correct notes that are either too sharp, or too flat, or too weak... I wonder if a keyed Irish flute could be a great option as an alternative to a bohem silver flute. Opinions?

[tstermitz]

Romantic era music was composed for simple system flutes. So, Beethoven would be appropriate.

My 8-key antique flute from the 1830s, easily plays 2 1/2 octaves from C up to G, which is a similar range that baroque composers used for recorders and 18th C one-key flutes. Telemann for example is within the normal range

Also, See Michael Lynn's website and youtube pages where he talks a lot about the kind of music people would be playing at home.

[paddler]

Lisa Beznosiuk has some nice videos discussing the use of various period flutes for different eras of classical music.
In the following example you will see that she often uses a Rudall and Rose flute for playing classical pieces.
So, yes, it makes a lot of sense to use such flutes for music composed in that same era.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q0l_K1ZrnY

[Jayhawk]

Tom nailed it. I break out the Bach, Beethoven and other 17th century to 19th century music every few months for variation. It's fun and often gives you a good workout on the keys!

Eric

[gbyrne]

Everything composed up to 1850 for flute was for simple system.

Is fun playing some classical piece and jazz numbers. Why not?

How about this on even earlier model Baroque flute. https://youtu.be/Kl6R4Ui9blc

There’s likely nothing played on silver flute that couldn’t be played well by competent simple system musician.

[RudallRose]

Simply track down copies of the Charles Nicholson books with everything you'll need to become proficient in the use of keys.
The workout from those books is simply unparalleled. Worth every moment.....and you get a new-found appreciation for what they were able to accomplish back then. Truly eye-opening!

[jim stone]

I am playing a good deal of baroque and classical on simple system flutes, 6 key and 8 key. Really works well.

[chas]

I don't play much ITM at all on my simple-system flutes. I play a lot of O'Carolan and Playford tunes, but I also love Telemann and Faure.

I play the baroque stuff on baroque flutes, but I have a six-key and also a small-holed Irish flute with one key that's fully chromatic with a little lipping. I had a large-holed one-key that was fully chromatic with some half-holing.

[gbyrne]

I learned Bach’s Air on a G String about three years ago. Love playing it on my 8-key SS flute.

Other pieces in my “off piste” playbook (*not* Irish trad) include… Beethovens Ode To Joy, Cavatina (in E but also G), Carolan’s Concerto and Carolan’s Draught, Eleanor Rigby, Fly Me To The Moon, The Girl From Ipanema (in F), Nino Rota’s Godfather Theme (in F) and also Godfather Waltz.

[gerardo1000]

gbyrne, great suggestions! I'll try lo learn these pieces too!. Thanks.

[jemtheflute]

Of course, the flutes are not "Irish"!!! The modern-made "Irish" flute is based on mid C19th English Romantic era flutes, and they were members of a Europe-wide family with different national styles of manufacture and sound aesthetic, but the same basic technology, all made with the purpose of use in performing the "classical" art music of their time.

This old thread Romantic Flute Virtuoso asked a similar question and has a lot of material in it pertinent to the present OP Q.