A Three-Piece Flute in AssisiAuthor(s): Filadelfio PuglisiReviewed work(s):Source: The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 37 (Mar., 1984), pp. 6-9Published by: Galpin SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/841135 .Accessed: 15/09/2012 06:11

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FILADELFIO PUGLISI"

A Three-Piece Flute in Assisi

F OR almost five centuries the musical activities of the Basilica of St. Francis at Assisi were conducted by its Cappella. In 1363 the organ-

builder Friar Franceschino da S. Colomba was its master. The Cappella's activities continued uninterrupted until the Napoleonic suppression of 1810.

The main treasure of the Cappella is the vast collection of musical manuscripts and printed music which still survives.1 Happily, a small group of renaissance and baroque woodwinds has also survived along with the books, and these are now housed in the Biblioteca Comunale of Assisi.2

Among them is a flute, which, although anonymous, constitutes an exceptional finding in Italy, both for its characteristics and for being a 'first'. This flute is the only known surviving three-piece flute in a historical Italian collection with a general design connected to the so- called Hotteterre type of continental and northern Europe. The obvious question raised by this discovery is whether it is an example of some established local tradition.

The instrument, shown in Pl. III is probably of boxwood, stained dark brown, with a brass key and no maker's mark.

Although the general aspect of the turning is of the heavily ornamented baroque type normally used on late 17th- early 18th- century flutes and recorders, this specimen differs from the norm in being a puzzling mixture, as explained below.

The turning just above the mouth-hole is in one piece with the headjoint, a unique feature as far as we know (see Pl. III b). The true detachable end cap is either missing or never existed. However, the wood surface at the top of the instrument looks as if it had indeed been protected by a cap until recently. A short convex cap would make the upper end of the flute look much like other three-piece flutes (for instance No. 670 of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts collection).

The headjoint socket and footjoint are turned in the style of the recorders of the late 17th- early 18th-centuries and are again probably unique features of a three-piece flute (see Pl. III c and d). The instrument therefore does not fit into the ideal line of development traced by Jane Bowers3 for this type (but her argument is based solely on the external appearance of the turning). The bore is, very broadly

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speaking, a little less conical than in other flutes of this kind, which is probably the reason for the impression of 'open' sound which this specimen gave when we tried to play it.

The mouth-hole is again singular, offering the aspect of a normal renaissance flute embouchure, that is, oval, but with the main axis across the instrument and very slightly rotated clockwise in respect of the flute's longitudinal axis.

After some work with masking tape for the temporary repair of some cracks, it was possible to make the flute sound acceptably, especially in the middle register. The pitch came to about A392 with the bottom note D', and good intonation of the octaves. The sound was powerful and quite 'open' but still mellow.

Dimenions: Fig. 1 shows the flute's dimensions, which are not intended for reconstruction, being somewhat sketchy and approximate. The Table shows the middle joint and foot joint bore, while the only bore dimensions it was possible to get for the headjoint are shown in Fig. 1.

The flute was brought to my attention by Mr. P. Fanciullacci and Mr. E. Pacini, both instrument makers in Prato, Italy, and the photographs were taken by Mr. M. Castellani, all of whom I would like to thank.

TABLE. BORE DIMENSIONS (in mm.)

Bore diameter Distance from bottom*

Middle joint 15.0 23 & 37 15.5 58 & 61 16.0 69 & 76 16.5 87 & 91 17.0 99 & 118 17.5 177 & 223 18.0 276 & 278 18.5 290 & 296 19.0 308 & 323.5

Foot 16.2 38 16.5 47 16.7 50 17.0 74

*0.0 reference in the drawing.

7

c) ) 0 co co a 0 0 o r- L6 6 c6 6 r? r i c 4- cj 6

________0_ __40_V___ ) c' 04

35.2 ci

S o

-

0 0~0 ) 0

SEETEXT c c 6 - o Co ) Lo CT (U ( (0 r co

0 ( 0)

coo00

cm cm cm cm cm c' c Ucm

07.5/ 07.4 06.2 06.9T 07. 0 06.3-r

Lo 0 Lo Lo 0 0 0

ASSISI BIBLIOTECA COMUNALE 0yc (0(0U V)0 c' V 0

3-PIECE FLUTE

ASSISI - BIBLIOTECA COMUNALE

FIG. 1.

NOTES 'Claudio Sartori. La Cappella Musicale di Assisi. Milano, 1962.

2 The Group is composed of a dulcian, four cornetti (one of which is dated 1642), an anonymous baroque bass recorder and the flute described in this article.

3 Jane Bowers, in Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society AMIS, Vol. III, 1977, 5-56.

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(a) n

(b)

(C)

PLATE III

The Assisi Flute (a) the instrument; (b) and (c) top and bottom of head joint; (d) foot joint.