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The D♯ Key—Hotteterre
is often credited with its invention), by Michel de La Barre, by Hotteterre, by Buffardin, and by Blavet—the earliest great players of whom we have any record. From the picture of a flute of the period (see p. 31, Fig. 1) given in Hotteterre's Principes de la Flûte traversière, published in 1707, it isHotteterre evident that the key was supported by means of a raised wooden ring left round the tube. A groove cut in this ring admitted the key, which moved on an axle, and was kept closed by a spring under the finger-end of the key. This system of key mechanism was also used for other keys subsequently introduced, and is still met with in a modified form in cheap flutes, which have the pin-axle supported between two knobs of wood, the remainder of the ring being cut away. The author of this book—the first complete book of instructions for the flute now known—was called Hotteterre-le-Romain, because he spent part of his early life in Rome. He came of a numerous French family of wind instrument makers and players, many of whom were members of the band of Louis XIV. He has been hitherto confused with an earlier member of the family named Louis, who was Royal flute-player at Court in 1664; but M. Ernest Thoinan, in his book Les Hotteterre et les Chedeville (Paris; Sagot, 1894), has satisfactorily proved that his Christian name was Jacques, that his father's name was Martin, and that he was born in Paris. From the same authority we learn that in 1708 he played his compositions for the flute before the King, who granted him a Document of Privilege, and that he lived in
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