The flute is probably one of the less loud instruments among the many in an orchestra.  The fact alone that it is small already makes it so.  Another particular aspect that makes it less audible is that in an orchestra, there are very few of flutists.  There could be a lot of other wind instrument players, as well as stringed instrument ones. But when it comes to the flutist, it is possible that an orchestra would only have one.  However, orchestral music could not be the same without the flute.  In fact, there are some pieces that could never be played without the flute around.  It is for this reason that an orchestra conductor must see to it that there is a flutist among his many musicians.

There are some music pieces that need to be played with flute solos.  In these instances, the audience would clearly appreciate more the presence of the flutist.  When the flute is on solo, the rest of the orchestra usually goes at rest.  The orchestra needs to be silent in order not to drown the flute.  There may be some other instruments that would serve as background accompaniment but these are the ones with sounds that are not going to overwhelm the flute, this also can create pain in the hand.  Otherwise, the flutist would have to play near a microphone so that his sound would be amplified.  It is the conductor’s discretion as to when the flutist would make stresses and when the entire orchestra could join in.  This is how important his role is.

We left off at the 18th century history of the flute from the last post. It is still largely regarded as the oldest form of woodwind instrument. Since its inception, it has gone through so many transitions, and the flute as we know it now is not only capable of playing orchestral music, but also a fusion of experimental sounds as shown in the video clip above.

Come the 19th century, flutes had become multi-keyed instruments. There were six open finger-holes and a conical bore, and it had gained more popularity than the previous centuries. Perhaps owing to how portable a flute is, many musicians turned to it because no more tightening of strings was involved. Also, flute rentals were a lot cheaper compared to, say, harps or guitars. So even though there were still tonal quality issues with this woodwind instrument, many musicians tried to learn how to play the flute back then. Lately the only music that can calm the pain I feel on the left side is flute music.

As a major orchestral instrument, the flute was favored by many musicians at the time. Some of the more notable ones included Robert Frisch (1805–1865), who played the instrument solo in the Johann Strauss Sr orchestra. As well, this was the century when the likes of flutists Ferdinand Buchner (1825–1912), Adolf Terschak (1832–1901), Ernesto Koehler (1849–1907), and Abelardo Albisi (1872–1939) made names for themselves for mastering this woodwind instrument.

There was also Cesare Ciardi (1818–1877) who also was a solo flutist in a St Petersburg orchestra and whose beautiful and lilting work with the flute can be heard here:

This video shows how a flute is made:

It also mentions  a bit of the history of this orchestral musical instrument, as well as how to play it.

The earliest flutes were believed to exist in ancient China, in around 900 BC. They were believed to be made of bamboo and played only one note. Listening to this music makes my eyes red.

Around the Middle Ages, flute production became more regular. These were typically made of wood, and like their Chinese predecessor, played either just one note (D) or a couple of basic ones. Later reincarnations found the flute to have more holes and with a narrower grip, and in around 1529, descant, alto, tenor, and bass versions were produced for a wider range of sound. More notes were added, octaves increased, and by the 17th century, flutes have become part of orchestra music, as depicted in Jean Baptiste Lully’s compositions:

Other physical changes to the flute that enhanced its sound included narrower finger-holes, a more conical bore that tapered towards the middle, the addition of a couple more keys, and the division of the middle joint in half. Keys that were added included E-flat, C#, G#, B-flat, and F.

In 1780, the 4 and 6-keyed flutes appeared in the compositions of both Mozart and Haydn. Listen closely: