Folker & Powell Tromlitz flute
Folker & Powell Tromlitz flute
> Grenadilla with eight silver keys
> A=440
> both short & long Bb keys
> excellent condition
This beautiful copy of a Tromlitz flute by two of the finest flutemakers in the USA is a rare instrument on either side of the Atlantic, but even more so here in Europe. It is great fun to play, and would be worth exploring in the context of its place in the development of music for the flute.
Johann George Tromlitz was a prominent player who devised this flute in an attempt to improve evenness and intonation. He published The Keyed Flute in 1800 to explain how it should be used. Rockstro wrote approvingly of his innovations, saying that Tromlitz's 'great aim was always to ensure perfect intonation, as well as an agreeable and powerful tone, throughout the entire compass of the instrument'.
In practice the flute is easily adapted to, since the thumb operates a sprung open C key as on modern Boehm flutes, and the adjacent Bb key can be worked either by shifting the thumb slightly or using RH1. Tromlitz moved the G sharp key slightly further down and placed it on the third joint. He disapproved of the C-foot but improved RH4 by mounting two keys that open holes of different sizes to give E flat or D sharp. The result was a flute that could do justice to the music of Mozart and CPE Bach.
We have checked the flute over. Condition is excellent, with just an old repaired hairline in the grain in the headjoint, away from the embouchure hole, that we have adjusted. We have enjoyed getting to know this flute a little, but it is clear that it will open up a new world to the player of classical and early romantic music.
Here we have Tromlitz's guide to fingerings on his flute:
1/ That the fingering-system of a flute with eight keys is necessarily different from that of a flute with one or two keys everyone will understand and accept. I could indicate only the fingerings altered by the keys, and refer the amateur for the rest to the fingering-charts in my Tutor for playing the flute; but to have to compare these two fingering charts would be an unnecessary bother. Or he may not even posses a copy of my Tutor, which would be even worse. Therefore I would rather take everything together here in order.
2/ After assembling the flute so that the inner edge of the first hole of the middle joint lines up with the centre of the mouth-hole, and a tone has been found in accordance with my instructions, you can finger
- D' as usual with 1 2 3 4 5 6
- E' as usual with 1 2 3 4 5
- F' with 1 2 3 4 5, F key with the 6th finger, or with the left-hand little finger, and 7; or
in short: finger e and open the F and Eb keys as well. G' as usual with 1 2 3 7
- A' as usual with 1 2 7
- B' as usual with 1 7
C" with 1 and the C" key open and 7; or in short: finger B' with 1 7 and open the C" key.
- D" as usual with 2 3 4 5 6
- E" as usual with 1 2 3 4 5
- F" with 1 2 3 4 5, F key with the 6th finger or with the left-hand little finger, and 7.
- G" as usual with 1 2 3, with or without the Eb key.
- A" as usual with 1 2
- B" as usual with 1
C"' with 2 4 5 6 7, or if it can be done with advantage, with 1, open C" key, and 7.
- D"' as usual with 2 3 7.
- E"' as usual with 1 2 5 6 7
- F"' as usual with 1 2 4 7. However, as it usually speaks a little reluctantly, it is better
with1 2567,BbandG#keys;orfingerE"'andopentheBbandG#keysaswell.Thishas been known for a long time.
G"' as usual with 1 3.
- A"' as usual with 2 3 4 5. It is far better than fingering D" with the G# key.
- B"' as usual with 1 2 4 7, Bb, G# and F keys. Also without 1.
C"" as usual with 1 3 5.
3/ The fingering of the notes formed with a sharp is as follows:
- D#' with 1 2 3 4 5 6 8.
- E#' with 1 2 3 4 5, F key with the 6th finger or the left hand little finger without Eb key;
or finger E and open the F key as well.
F#' with 1 2 3 4 7 and the F key; or take the F key for F# as we4ll, as I have been saying for years in letters to amateurs.
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G#' with 1 2 3 4 7 and G# key with the left-hand little finger, that is, if the G# is tuned to a pure Ab; if not, just leave off 4. Or finger G and open the G# key.
A#' weith 1 2 and Bb key for the left thumb; or finger A' and open the Bb key as well,
[adding] 4 and 7. Here it is the same as with G#; if the Bb key is tuned to a pure Bb, the 4th finger is added for A#. But if this key is tuned for both notes, Bb and A#, then 4 stays off. It is still better to finger G# and open the long Bb key as well, as in: G#, A#, B# etc, but the other way around, C#", B#', A#', G#', etc., the short Bb key is almost more
convenient.
B#' with 1` 3 7 and the C" key open.
C#" as usual with all holes open; though the right-hand fingers may remain down for C" too if they have been used for the previous fingering.
- D#" with 2 3 4 5 6 8.
- E#" with 1 2 3 4 5 and F key with the 6th finger or the left-hand little finger.
- F#" with 1 2 3 4 7 and F key.
- G#" with 1 2 3 4 7 and G# key. However if this G# is not tuned to a pure Ab, but
tempered in such a way that it may be used fo Ab ands G#, 4 stays off and Ab in this octave is best taken with 1 2 4 7.
A#" if Bb is tuned pure with 1 3, with 1 2 4 5 6 7, or with 1 2 and Bb key. But if the fingering 1 2 4 5 6 7 is pure Bb, then the fingering 1 3 has to be a pure a#. If the fingering 1 2 and Bb key is too sharp for A#, then 4 can be added, as in the first octave; or finger G# with the key and open the Bb key as well.
B#" with 1 3 4 6 8, or 1 3 4 5 7 and F key.
C#"' with 2 3 4 6 7.
- D#"' with 2 3 5 6 8.
- E#"' with 1 2 5 6 7 Bb and G# keys.
- F#"' with 1 2 3 4.
- G#"' with 3, or 3 6 7, or 1 3 7 and G# key or 1 3 7 and C" key.
A#"' with 2 4.
4/ We now come to the fingerings of notes formed with a flat.
Eb' Fb' Gb'
little Ab' Bb' has to slid Cb" Db" C#". Eb"
is fingered with 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.
with 1 2 3 4 5 7.
with 1 2 3 4 7 and F key, or in short: finger F# with the Eb key, and if you have two F keys, open them both as well; if you only have one F kry, yuou must try to raise it a with your embouchure.
with 1 2 3 7 and G# key, or finger G with the Eb key and open the G# key as well. with 1 2 7 and Bb key, or finger A and open the Bb key too. Siunce the left thumb keep the C" closed even while opening the Bb key, it can not be lifted up, but only downwards in order to open the Bb key.
with 1 7 and the Bb key.
with 1 2 3 4 5 6 open, C" and 7. As regards the right-hand fingers it is treated like
with 2 3 4 5 6 7.
2
Fb" with 1 2 3 4 5 7.
Gb" with 1 2 3 5 6 7.
Ab" with 1 2 4 7, or if the G# key is tuned to pure Ab, with 1 2 3 7 and the G# key. Bb" with 1 3 is the fingering I had designated for A#", and 1 2 4 5 6 7 for Bb. But since
people were bothered that I had taken away the accustomede fingering for Bb, abd had substituted another, unfamiliar one; I have reversed them, and now we have
Bb" with 1 3, and A# with 1 2 4 5 6 7. But it can also be fingered 1 2 7 and the Bb key, if the flute is properly tuned. But since there are so many different ways of tuning [these two notes], just use the higher one for Bb and the lower for A#".
Cb"' with 1 4 5 6 7.
Db"' with 2 3 4 7.
Eb"' with 2 3 5 6 7.
Fb"' with 1 2 6 7.
Gb"' with 1 2 4.
Ab"' with 3; see also G#"'; the highest of them is Ab"'.
Bb"' with 2 4.
So this is the fingering for a flute with eight keys.
taken from: "The Keyed Flute", by Johann George Tromlitz, translated and edited with an introduction by Ardal Powell. Oxford Early Music Series, Clarenden Press, Oxford 1996. ISBN: 0-19-816462-9 Copyright by Ardal Powell 1996.
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