Story of the Flute
Traversière (Paris,? 1710). This book is praised by Hawkins. Corrette had a school of music under the Jesuits in Paris, which Fetis tells us was not a success, his pupils being termed "les anachorétes" (i.e., "les anes á Corrette").
The earliest English instruction book now in existence appeared in 1730-31. It is entitled The Modern Musick-Master or the Universal Musician, containing the Newest Method for Learners in [inter alia] the German Flute as Improved by the Greatest Masters of the age (Peter Prelleur. London: Bow Church Yard). This curious work contains separate parts dealing with the violin, German flute, flute-à-bec, hautboy, and harpsichord, giving a collection of airs from Handel's operas, minuets, rigadoons, etc., and a duet, "Se il cor," from Ptolemy, arranged for two transverse flutes. It is illustrated with artistic pictures of players performing on each instrument, and the frontispiece shows a group of persons performing on them all, including one playing a long transverse flute. This instrument is treated of in vol. ii. The scale given "of all the notes and half-notes" extends from low D to high G, as in Hotteterre's book, the top F♮ being omitted as hopelessly imperfect. A table of beats or shakes is also included. The author recommends the syllables Tu-Ku for tongueing. At the end there is an advertisement of Handel's operas Julius Cæsar, Tamerlane, and Rodelinda transposed for the flute. It was evidently a popular work, as it ran through four editions in a few years.
In the same year Johann Christian Schickhard published Principes de la Flute, etc., in Amsterdam; and in 1759 A. Mahault, of that city, issued a tutor which Fetis describes as "one of the first truly methodical works for the flute." About the same period Francesco Geminiani published in London Rules for Playing in a true taste on the German Flute, etc., . . . as exemplified in a variety of Compositions. This work is mentioned by Burney.
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