UDC 788.5
DOI: 10.36871/hon.202301014
Authors
Li Meixin,
Russian State Specialized Academy of Arts, Moscow, 121165, Russian Federation
Abstract
Until the late XVIIth century, the valveless transverse flute dominated the ensemble works of Western European composers. However, with the rise of new Baroque aesthetics and consequent requirements for the sound of instruments, its role faded away in less than half a century. In this regard, the flute began to evolve rapidly (both constructively and in performing manner) and by the middle of the XVIIIth century it reached extraordinary heights, occupying one of the leading places not only in ensemble practice, but also in solo repertoire. First of all, this became possible due to the gradual introduction of a single valve into the structure of the instrument, which allowed it to perform chromatic scales and all types of melismas that existed in Baroque practice, as well as to be precisely tuned. Although this process began initially in Italy and France, and somewhat later in Germany, it was in this country that it manifested itself most clearly. Without exaggeration, it was the German composing and performing school of the first half of the XVIIIth century that culminated the development of the transverse version of this instrument. The relevance of the study lies in the need for both practicing musicians and musicologists to analyze and systematize the information about the development of the flute repertoire of German composers in the first half of the XVIIIth century. The scientific novelty consists, first of all, in the author's attempt to show the significance of the flute as a solo and ensemble instrument in the work of the leading German composers of the period under study.
Keywords
flute, German musical culture, first half of the XVIIIth century, performance
