Flute Quartetts
Beethoven wrote a characteristic Allegro and Minuet for two flutes for his friend Degenhart in 1792. Four flautists stand out as the leading composers ofSeveral
Flutes
alone music of this kind: Berbiguier, Kummer, Gabrielsky, and Kuhlau—whose quartett for four flutes is the best ever written. It will probably surprise the ordinary reader to learn that over twenty quartetts for four equal-pitched flutes are in existence. The music for flutes alone is lighter in character than that written for strings; though of great interest to flute-players, it is never likely to become popular with the general public. The lack of bass or even tenor tone is an insuperable defect. Several attempts have been made to obviate this objection by using flutes of different pitches. In November 1868 a quartett by S. Laville for an E♭ flute, a concert flute, an alto flute in B♭, and a bass flute in G, was performed with such success that Sir George A. Macfarren said, "A new and glorious era for the flute has commenced, in which the present and future masters of the art will be delighted to embody their inspirations in the flute quartett"—a prophecy which, notwithstanding Mr. Fransella's recent revival of a similar quartett, unfortunately still lacks fulfilment.
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