The Voice FluteAuthor(s): Edgar HuntSource: The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 10 (May, 1957), pp. 86-87Published by: Galpin SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/841813 .

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It is evident that there was a considerable colony of French musicians in London from about 168o onwards, including such men as Paisible himself, Bressan, Vaillant the French bookseller, James de Brissac (the notary who drew up Paisible's will) and Dieupart. Like all such colonies they kept in close touch with one another; Paisible's will names 'Francis Dieupart' as one of the two agents he desired to handle his effects in France. This reference, together with the autograph letter reproduced in Paul Brunold's admirable edition of his complete works (Oiseau-Lyre, I934), should settle once and for all the dispute con- cerning his Christian name; it must have been 'Frangois', not 'Charles'.

THURSTON DART

THE VOICE FLUTE From the very beginning of the recorder's revival we have known of the existence of an Alto Recorder in d'. There is such an instrument in the famous Chester quartet, made by Bressan, where its companions are the treble (f'), tenor (c) and bass (f). Another such alto, also by Bressan, is in the museum at Bury St Edmunds; and I possess an ex- ample by Hail. Others are to be found in other collections.

The use of this alto recorder has always been something of a puzzle. As a quartet, the Chester set is not entirely satisfactory; if the key is comfortable for the C and F recorders, there will be too many flats for the comfort of the player of the D instrument and vice versa.

Moreover, up to now there seemed to be no music for it. There is plenty for the descant in d" or 'sixth flute'-the delightful concertos by Babell, Baston and Woodcock-but none for the alto, if we except the first version of Hindemith's 'Ploner Musiktag' Trio. Dolmetsch made some of these altos and uses one when performing works origin- ally intended for the transverse flute, such as the Fifth Brandenburg Concerto. I used to find mine useful in performing Bach cantatas in which there was originally a difference of a minor third between the pitch of Bach's (high) organ and the low Cammerton of his recorders (Cantata 152, Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn, is an example).

The name 'Voice Flute' appears in the Talbot MS (Ch. Ch. Music MS 1187) which was discussed in GSJ I by Anthony Baines. Referring to this in my paper to the Royal Musical Association (March 1949) I was in error in saying that the Voice Flute was another name for the treble inf'. I can now correct that statement and affirm that the Voice Flute is the same as the alto in d', and that it probably gets the name from the fact that its compass fits the range of the soprano voice, whence it would be useful for playing vocal music.

Now, at last we have some music for this Voice Flute. From the

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BZrenreiter Verlag comes an edition (ed. Rolf Ermeler) of a Quintet in B minor by Jean Baptiste L'Oeillet for two Flauti traversi, two Flauti da voce and continuo, and from the editor's preface it would appear that in the original MS the Flauti da voce are treated as transpos- ing instruments, their parts being written as if for treble recorder in French violin clef; i.e. written in D minor to sound in B minor, thus:

Written: "_

Sounding: AI l i n ="! la•.

A performance of this interesting work was recently given at the Recorder in Education Summer School, Roehampton, London, by Carl Dolmetsch and Walter Bergmann (voice flutes, using Dolmetsch instruments), Edgar Hunt and Christine Ring (one-keyed flutes by Metzler and Stanesby), Freda Dinn (harpsichord) and Nathalie Dol- metsch (bass viol).

EDGAR HUNT

LA FACTURE INSTRUMENTALE A PARIS AU SEIZIEME SIECLE

To the documents already published in GSJ VII, I would like to add the following two short inventories, to which others will no doubt be added in the future, and which modify one point in my article, namely on p. 17 (GSJ VII), where 1625 is given as the date of the first appearance of violons 'lorrains'. It now becomes necessary to place it earlier, (provisionally) to 1616.

XXVIII bis 1616, 19 septembre.-Inventaire aprbs dechs de Jehan Mazuel, violon ordinaire de la Chambre du roil Minutier central, CV, 566 Ensuivent les instruments appartenant audit deffunt prisds et estim6s par honnorable homme Nicolas FieffO,' maitre joueur d'instruments Ii Paris ... Item premierement trois dessus de Cremone, garni chacun

de leurs archet et estuict, pris6s 120 1. Item un autre dessus de Cremone sans etuict, garni de ses

archets pris6 50 1. Item une haulte contre de Cremone garni, de son archet

ete estuict, pris&e 50 1. Item un dessus et une haulte contre de Lorraine, pris6s 9 1. Item une taille de hautbois, garni de son estuict 12 1. Item une poche enrichie de nacre de perles, garni de son

estuict pris6e S I. Item une autre poche garnie de son etui, prise 20o sols

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