Alto flute
The alto flute is a countertenor instrument in the Western
concert flute family, the second-highest member below the Alto flute
standard C flute after the uncommon flûte d'amour in B ♭ ,
A, or A ♭. It is the third most common member of its family
after the standard C flute and the piccolo. It is characterized
by its rich, mellow tone in the lower portion of its range. It
is a transposing instrument in G (a perfect fourth below
written C), and uses the same fingerings as the C flute.
The bore of the alto flute is considerably larger in diameter
and longer than a C flute and requires more breath from
the player.[1] This gives it a greater dynamic presence in the Classification Woodwind (Aerophone)
bottom octave and a half of its range. Playing range
It was the favourite flute variety of Theobald Boehm, who
perfected its design, and is pitched in the key of G
(sounding a perfect fourth lower than written).[2]
Its range is from E3 (the E below middle C) to G6 (4 ledger Related instruments
lines above the treble clef staff) plus an altissimo register
stretching to D♭7. The headjoint may be straight or curved. Woodwind family (Clarinet, oboe,
bassoon)
British music that uses this instrument often refers to it as Flute, bass flute, piccolo
a bass flute, which can be confusing since there is a distinct
instrument known by that name.[1] This naming confusion Musicians
originated in the fact that the modern flute in C is pitched
in the same range as the Renaissance tenor flute; therefore, List of Flautists
a lower pitched instrument would be called a bass.[3]
Contents
Headjoint shape
Repertoire
Alto flute alone
Alto flute and piano
Alto flute, piano and electronics
Orchestral excerpts
Performers
References
Headjoint shape
Alto flute headjoints are built in
'curved' and 'straight' versions.
The curved headjoint is frequently
preferred by smaller players
Alto flute with curved head.
because it requires less of a
stretch for the arms, and makes
the instrument
feel lighter by
moving the
center of Alto flute with straight head.
gravity nearer
to the player.
However, the straight version is more commonly used for better overall intonation.[4]
The embouchure for alto flute is similar to that for C flute, but in proportion to the size of the
instrument. Hence the embouchure-hole sits lower on the lower lip, and the lip-aperture is wider.
Repertoire
The following lists are not intended to be complete, but rather to present a representative sampling
of the most commonly played and well-known works in the genre. The lists also do not generally
include works originally written for other instruments and subsequently transcribed, adapted, or
arranged for alto flute, unless such piece is very common in the repertory, in which case it is listed
with its original instrumentation noted.
Alto flute alone
Bruno Bartolozzi: Cantilena
Garth Baxter: Variations on the Willow Tree
Jonathan Bayley: Music for Pan (1982)
Michael Csany-Wills: Trystyng
Charles Delaney: Variations on the 'Seeds of Love' (1989)
Jon Gibson: Untitled (1974)
Alexander Goehr: Ariel Sing (2003)
Philippe Hersant: Cinq Miniatures (1995)
Daniel Kessner: A Serene Music (2012)
Coreen Morsink: Andromache (2010)
Patrick Nunn: Maqamat (2002)
Michael Oliva: Les Heures Bleues (2013)
Edwin Roxburgh: The Curlew (1994)
Kaija Saariaho: Couleurs du vent (1998)
Harvey Sollberger: Hara
Karlheinz Stockhausen:
Susani's Echo, 3. ex Nr. 581⁄2 (1985)
Xi, 3. ex Nr. 55 (1986)
David Bennett Thomas: Carla (2012)
Alto flute and piano
Arnold Cooke: Sonatina for Alto Flute and Piano (1985)
Tom Febonio: Sonata for Alto Flute and Piano
Daniel Kessner: Simple Motion (1993)
Melvin Lauf: Passing Thoughts
Phyllis Louke: As The Clouds Parted
Andrew McBirnie: The Moon by Night (2003)
Mike Mower: Sonnets
Laura Pettigrew: Offertoire
Gary Schocker: Sonata for a Lost Planet
Alto flute, piano and electronics
John Palmer: Afterglow (http://composersedition.com/composers/johnpalmer/ce-jp1a2)
Orchestral excerpts
In the classical literature, the alto flute is particularly associated with the scores of Igor Stravinsky
and Maurice Ravel, both of whom used the instrument's distinctive tone color in a variety of
scores. It is featured in Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé, Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, Franco Alfano's
opera Cyrano de Bergerac, and Sergei Prokofiev's Scythian Suite. Shostakovich used it in his
operas The Gamblers (left unfinished), Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (also known as
Katerina Ismailova), as well as in his Symphony No. 7 (Leningrad). It also figures prominently in
several movements of Gustav Holst's The Planets.[2] It also appears in Howard Shore's music for
The Lord of the Rings among many other contemporary film scores.[5] Even before 1940 it had
been used occasionally in Hollywood; early Broadway pit orchestrations using the instrument
include Jerome Kern's Music in the Air (1932) and Very Warm for May (1939), both scored by
Robert Russell Bennett (the manuscript orchestrations are in the Jerome Kern Collection, Music
Division, The Library of Congress).
Performers
A number of specialist alto flute players have emerged in recent years. These include French
improvisor/composer Christian Le Delezir, American Christine Potter, British Kingma System alto
flute player Carla Rees, jazz players Ali Ryerson and Brian Landrus, American Peter Sheridan who
currently resides in Australia, Swiss composers/performers Matthias Ziegler and Stefan Keller and
Dutch composer/performer Anne La Berge.
References
1. Finding Your Flute (How to Choose, Rent, Buy a New or Used Flute) (http://www.markshep.co
m/flute/Finding.html)
2. Toff, Nancy (2012). The Flute Book: A Complete Guide for Students and Performers. Oxford,
England: Oxford University Press. pp. 69–72.
3. http://www.oldflutes.com/renai.htm
4. Phyllis Louke - Article: Getting Started Playing Alto, Bass and Contrabass Flutes (http://palouk
e.home.comcast.net/~palouke/ArtBigFlutes.htm) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/200902
27055802/http://palouke.home.comcast.net/~palouke/ArtBigFlutes.htm) February 27, 2009, at
the Wayback Machine
5. One of the best-known uses of the alto flute in 20th century music was by Pierre Boulez in his
piece Le marteau sans maître for contralto and six instrumentalists. Adams, Doug (2010). The
Music of the Lord of the Rings Films: A Comprehensive Account of Howard Shore's Scores,
Book & CD. Los Angeles, California, USA: Alfred Music.
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This page was last edited on 16 March 2020, at 17:04 (UTC).
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