Story of the Flute
under his solitary arm and demanded to play a duet with the virtuoso. The latter began to laugh, but on being pressed, consented. Rebsomen thereupon took out a little pole, screwed it on to the table, attached his flute to it, and proceeded to prelude. Berbiguier was so astonished at his playing that he not only played the duet with him, but actually dedicated the work (op. 46) to the Count. It may be noted here that Beckert has composed a flute solo entitled The Nightingale for the left hand only, in which he uses harmonics to produce notes otherwise impossible.
Karl Grenser (b. 1794) is reputed to have played the flute in public at the age of six. This, however, isProdigies beaten by Benjamin Hallet, who is said to have appeared at Drury Lane Theatre in 1748, dressed as a girl, when not quite five years old (he certainly does not look much older in his portrait), and to have played the flute there for fifty nights with extraordinary skill and applause. In the following year he appeared in public as a violoncellist. The General Advertiser of 1748-9 announced "by desire, a concerto on the flute by the child" to be played between the acts. In December 1751 he appeared in an entertainment entitled "The Old Woman's Oratory, conducted by Mrs. Mary Midnight," produced by Colley Cibber, and in November 1753 the advertisement of a programme of a concert at The Five Bells, New Church in the Strand, included "a solo on the little flute by Master Hallet."
It is said that an eminent solo flautist at a public260
