Dulon (1769-1826), of Brandenburg, blind from childhood, who played in public at the age of ten, his tone and execution attracting much attention.Blind and one-armed Flautists Two years later he gave a concert in Berlin, and subsequently played duets with Tromlitz in Leipsic. In 1786 he performed at the English Court, and in 1795 became one of the Royal musicians at St. Petersburg. Dulon was a man of very considerable ability, and wrote several works for the flute and other instruments. Possessing a wonderful memory, he could learn a long concerto in a couple of hours, and at the age of forty he had a repertoire of over three hundred pieces. (For portrait see p. 204, ante.)
Several one-armed persons have been flautists, performing on flutes with special mechanism, the lower end being supported by a pillar attached to a table. Such a flute, descending to the low B, was made for Count Rebsomen in 1842, under the Count's own direction. Rebsomen had lost his left arm and his right leg in Napoleon's campaigns, and was subsequently connected with the French Embassy in London. The fingering of the left hand was replaced by keys placed between the holes for the right hand. These keys were opened by the second joints of the right hand fingers. The Count was an excellent performer, possessing considerable execution, and it is said that the audience would not have discovered from his playing that he had only one hand. One day he presented himself to Berbiguier in Paris, with his flute
