Acknowledgement

Dealing with original instruments gives me great satisfaction. I find the search for historically significant flutes, their restoration after decades of “deep sleep”, and the familiarization with their tonal characteristics extremely instructive and charming - not to forget the many interesting encounters with musicians, instrument makers, collectors and museum staff.

1st row from the left: Marc Hantai and Barthold Kuijken; Giovanni Tardino; Anne Pustlauk and Tony Bingham; Ulrich Halder. 2nd row: Francesco Carreras and Gianni Lazzari; Peter Spohr; Ulrich Halder; Alain Winkelman. 3rd row: Keizo Yokoyama; Rachel Brown with her female students and a rooster in the basket; Jan de Winne, Jörg Fiedler, Rick Wilson, Michael Lynn, Francesco Carreras; Barthold Kuijken and Ulrich Halder. 4th row: Benjamin Glauser; Peter Thalheimer; Sarah Rumer; Conrad Steinmann.

It was only through the help of many colleagues that I was able to build up this collection and website. I would like to thank Peter Spohr (Frankfurt), Martin Kirnbauer (Basel), Peter Thalheimer (Ilshofen-Oberaspach), Georges Barthel (Strassbourg), Robert Bigio, Tony Bingham, Rachel Brown and Lisa Beznosiuk (all in London), Liane Ehlich (Basel), Sarah van Cornewal (Geneva), Andreas Schöni (Bern), Jörg Fiedler (Basel), Barthold Kuijken (Bruxelles), Marc Hantai (Basel), Marten Root (Amsterdam) and Conrad Steinmann (Winterthur) for their competent advice and helpful suggestions. For expert repairs to my often difficult 'patients' I am indebted to Keizo Yokoyama (Basel), Benjamin Glauser (Leutwil), Giovanni Tardino (Basel), Thomas Fehr (Gähwil), Alain Winkelman (Schaffhausen), Andreas Besteck (Allschwil), Fritjof Aurin (Düsseldorf) und Björn Kempf (Berlin). Of course, I am especially grateful to Mrs Isabelle Bopp, who handed the collection of her father Charles-Joseph Bopp over to me on fair terms, as well as to Philippe Bopp, who consigned interesting documents from the professional legacy of his father Joseph Bopp to me. Without the patient assistance of Stefan Bürer, Head of Informatics at the Historisches Museum Basel, this website would never have come about; I thank him and his institution very much for the generous professional support. I received photographic advice from Matthias Willi (Basel), and recording assistance from Leonardo Bortolotto (Basel). Rani Orenstein (Basel) was a very sensitive and reliable accompanist for the recording of the sound samples. I also owe special thanks to Anne Pustlauk (Bruxelles), who spent a lot of time and skill playing all my flutes for defining their pitch and judging their sound qualities. Finally, I would like to thank my partner, Theresa Baerfuss, for her help in the English translation as well as my family and all my friends, who bear my passion with (usually) patient indulgence.