Story of the Flute
hands of skilled players, and they occasionally use them even in orchestral compositions, in order to simplify difficult passages. Sometimes they are used (especially by continental flautists) for the purpose of varying the tone-colour and expression, and Terschak, Doppler, and others have introduced these "flageletto" notes into some of their solo compositions. The tone of harmonics produced from the lowest C♮ and C♯ (and B, if on the instrument) is very remarkable. Drouet objected to the use of harmonics, owing to their being always accompanied by a very slight sound of a fifth below.
A peculiarity of the flute is that very rapid staccato passages can be played with great distinctness byDouble-
tongueing means of "double-tongueing" and "triple-tongueing"; the only other instrument on which this can be done is the cornet. This effect, which was known in the days of Hotteterre, is produced by the rapid enunciation of such syllables as "dou-gou" or "too-coo-too," in which the tongue strikes alternately on two different parts of the palate. This is, no doubt, more or less of a trick—James terms
it "Babylonish gabble" (which it too often is)—and should only be used when absolutely necessary. It is very usual in old-fashioned flute solos, but is not very frequently employed in orchestral music. Raff, however, uses it in his Third Symphony, Saint-Saens in his ballet in Ascanio; and Rimsky-Korsakow, in his Grande Paque Russe, produces a tremolo effect by very rapid double-tongueing on a piccolo and two flutes.
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