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Story of the Flute
airs, and to sigh so amorously in those that are tender, that all are moved by them." The fact that several editions (some pirated) of his Principes appeared in various countries in rapid succession bears witness to the popularity of the flute, which Hotteterre in his preface terms "one of the most agreeable and fashionable of instruments."
The scale as given by Hotteterre extends from
, including all semitones (save top F♮), "fork" fingerings being used; distinct fingerings are given for F♯ and G♭ in the two first octaves, and for the top C♯ and D♭, and alternative fingerings for the top C♮. His flute consists of three pieces; the head-joint is apparently cylinder, and the rest of the tube tapers towards the end. This change in the bore of the body of the flute dates from about 1680. Lavoix attributes it to "Kusder of London," said to have been an oboe-maker. It is much more likely, however, that it was introduced by Hotteterre, or possibly by Johann Christoph Denner, a wind instrument maker of Nuremberg, who is generally credited with the invention of the clarinet, and who is said by Furstenau to have made important improvements on the transverse flute, on which he was a noted performer. All flutes continued to be made with conical bodies until the time of Böhm (i.e. about 170 years later), and many are still so constructed. The effects of the conical bore
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