You will find the individual sound samples (2020: approx. 100 samples) with the description of the respective flute through inventory and by clicking on the portrait of Hotteterre

Musical instruments have been - and are being - created for the production of sound. In my collection they shall be able to fulfil their most important function even as historical testimonies.

The aim of the sound samples is to provide as authentic an impression as possible of the sound characteristics of selected flutes from the collection. By choosing instruments from different periods, flute categories, manufacturers and building materials, it should be possible to recognize and compare the variety of the flute sound and its change over the centuries. In some cases the same piece of music was played with the same flute type, but in different materials. However, not all flutes may show significant differences in sound colour for the listener. This, however, is in contrast to the subjective feeling of playing it, which is different for each instrument.

The selected music corresponds as far as possible to the time and region of the particular instrument played. Not all compositions were originally written for the flute, but some were arranged by the composers themselves or by their contemporaries. I chose mainly pieces at a rather moderate tempo to bring out the sound characteristics as clearly as possible, and to cope better with the fingering and intonational challenges, which some of the flutes offer. In order to play them really well, many of the original instruments require an intensive and exclusive training. Because of the multitude of flutes in my collection this is a definite (luxury) problem for me. The sound examples presented here are to be understood rather as documents than as 'high art'.

In order to reproduce the sound as authentically as possible, we made the recording very direct, that is, with the instruments close to the recording device (ZOOM Handy Recorder H2). This, however, has the disadvantage that undesirable noises (breathing, noise of the keys, chair creaking) can also be heard relatively prominently. In order to improve the pronounced „dry“ acoustic of the small room, we added very little reverb to the recordings. Further reworking (cuts, corrections, etc.) were not carried out; thus the samples represent a kind of 'live recording'.

A major problem in the combination of original wind instruments with harpsichord and piano are their different pitches. We therefore used a quite versatile keyboard (Yamaha P-120), whose tuning can be adjusted precisely. I am very grateful to my partners Rani Orenstein and Camille Ravot (both Schola Cantorum Basel), that they were willing to lower themselves to an electronic sound production without much grumbling.