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.

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.

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: