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A cabinet of musical curiosities
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The Early Flute Consort
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Frequently asked questions 
 
Are the old looking instruments originals?
Sadly not, with the exception of a few nineteenth century flutes.
They are mostly twentieth century copies of museum originals.
Surviving instruments from the sixteenth to early eighteenth centuries are very rare and are best cared for in a museum environment, where they are available for study by genuine scholars. Some mid to late eighteenth century wind instruments do come on the market from time to time, for instance at auction houses. They tend to carry high price tags and we would be hesitant to put them to full daily use. Unlike violins, old wind instruments deteriorate with age, and so a good accurate new copy may actually play better than an aged original.
 
Where do you obtain your instruments?
The Early Music Shop stocks copies of old instruments. Look for the link to their website on our Useful links page. They organize the annual Early Music Exhibition in Greenwich. That is an excellent place to meet the makers themselves and to try out a range of models before choosing which one to buy.
We have come to know several makers over the years and have our favourites from whom we order direct.
 
Where do you find the music?
Fortunately much is published in modern practical editions, although we still spend some time searching through nineteenth century library tomes.
The most comprehensive source for sixteenth and early seventeenth (renaissance) consort music is London Pro Musica Edition of P.O. Box 97, Hebden Bridge, HX7 8UZ.
Baroque, romantic and modern music for flutes is readily available from specialist suppliers. We frequently use June Emerson and Just Flutes of Croydon.
More specialized baroque music, including facsimile editions, can be obtained from Jacks, Pipes and Hammers.
A good source of music for recorders is Recorder Music Mail.
There are many other suppliers but the above are those we have used most frequently.
See links to their online catalogues in our Useful links section.
 
Is there any printed early music on the web?
Yes. We have looked especially for flute and 16th/17th century ensemble music.
A good single source and starting point, which has many links to other useful sites, is Werner Icking. Facsimiles of much of the Gidde Collection housed in Copenhagen are available from the REX site. Links to both are on our Useful lnks page.
 
What is the serpent made of?
It is constructed of several pieces of sycamore wood, carved out and glued together. The whole is then bound with black leather to stop it falling apart. The leather was especially important on original instruments as the glues used in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were not very waterproof!
 
 
 Do you have a question? Please send an email via the Contact us page.