A quick reference guide on places, makers, music
Every time I come across or have a chance to look at a specific model of traverso, I always wonder about its history, where it came from, and, considering its most likely lifespan in the 18th century and physical characteristcs, whether it is more or less suitable to play music from a certain period or of a specific style.
When I had the pleasure to meet Alessandro Cilona, an enthusiastic flutist and musicologist, I didn't miss the chance to get into an exciting conversation about all this, and in no time we decided to develop a sort of summary of the voluminous information that can be found scattered around the web, museums and libraries and put it on this website.
When I had the pleasure to meet Alessandro Cilona, an enthusiastic flutist and musicologist, I didn't miss the chance to get into an exciting conversation about all this, and in no time we decided to develop a sort of summary of the voluminous information that can be found scattered around the web, museums and libraries and put it on this website.
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The aim was to create a unique reference point to answer our recurring questions and have an easy tool to quickly place the different models in space, time and style.
Alessandro is the author of the extremely enjoyable and instructive book "Il flauto traversiere - Creazione e diffusione di uno strumento nel suo contesto simbolico e sociale" ("The traverso - Creation and diffusion of an instrument in its symbolic and social context"), recently published by NeoClassica, so who better than him? |
Some references on traverso models
In this page you can find:
We chose 15 among the most popular models used by flute players these days, mainly through modern copies, and decided to present the information in a synthetic way, as direct and friendly as possible.
The list of the models is below:
- a timeline to rapidly place the models in the relevant period of the 18th century;
- a list of models with a corresponding pop-up window that will provide their main characteristics, some reference to the type of music each model is possibly suitable for, and a video to appreciate their sound;
- a map that shows some of the early development and dissemination of the traverso in Europe.
We chose 15 among the most popular models used by flute players these days, mainly through modern copies, and decided to present the information in a synthetic way, as direct and friendly as possible.
The list of the models is below:
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The timeline
When was Palanca most active in building traversos?
How long after Hottetterre was Quantz active as a traverso maker?
Well, if you want an answer to these and similar questions, just have a look at the timeline to get a broad understanding of the chronological relationships between the various flute makers.
You can click on the picture to get a larger version.
How long after Hottetterre was Quantz active as a traverso maker?
Well, if you want an answer to these and similar questions, just have a look at the timeline to get a broad understanding of the chronological relationships between the various flute makers.
You can click on the picture to get a larger version.
The models
Here you can find some more info on the selected flute models, including the place and period of activity of their makers, some historical background, general suggestions about the type of music each model may be best suited to perform, and videos that show the flutes in action, in order to appreciate their specific sound.
To open the windows with this additional info, just click on each model.
To open the windows with this additional info, just click on each model.
The map
The purpose of this map is to provide an intuitive representation of how the baroque flute spread geographically in Europe, starting from its early trails, through a series of evidences and significant events that were documented at the turn of the eighteenth century and beyond.
To see the details of each milestone, just click on the signposts.
To see the details of each milestone, just click on the signposts.
Background and clarificationsThis page is meant to be a quick reference guide on the most common traverso models in the 18th century.
The information presented here is by no means intended to be exhaustive, and, despite our best effort, there may be missing pieces or possible oversights. We therefore invite anyone who has better info, data, pictures, sources or a different interpretation of them, to contribute and help us to complete the overall picture. Some of the information used for the resources presented have been extracted from Alessandro's book. The photos of the flutes have been taken either from the originals held in museums or from private collections. The suggestions on the type of music that the models are best suited for have been elaborated from many different sources on the web, including various makers' websites (in particular of Boaz Berney, Folkers & Powell, Fridtjof Aurin, and Martin Wenner), and are subject to your comments. The videos links have been taken from public web sources. Alessandro Cilona & Francesco Belfiore © 2024 |
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