What is the VOICEFLUTE? | Team Recorder
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- Опубликовано: 21 ноя 2024
- Hi recorder nerds, prepare to get nerdy! I thought this video would be simple... but I was so, so wrong. I'm gonna tell you all about the voiceflute, with more questions than answers: is it a tenor or an alto? Why did they have such a small range? Why aren't we all playing them now?
There is obviously SO MUCH I missed out in this video, so if you have something to share, please do so in the comments!
/// LINKS
A huge thank you to the following people for the excellent information you've provided:
David Lasocki article 'The Voice Flute and its Origin' : davidlasocki.c...
Tim Cranmore, recorder maker www.fippleflut...
Jacqueline Sorel, recorder maker www.sorel-reco...
Peter van der Poel, recorder maker www.petervande...
Adrian Brown, recorder maker: database of Renaissance recorders www.recorderho...
/// TIMESTAMPS
00:16 What is a voiceflute?
02:20 Where does it come from?
03:09 The Bressan voiceflutes
04:13 The Dinner voiceflute
05:08 What about the name?
06:49 What music was played on it?
07:48 Why isn't it more popular?
08:25 How do you play/read music on it?
10:18 Play us some music, Sarah
14:12 Instruments today
15:25 Conclusions?
/// INSTRUMENTS
In this video I play on a 415 voiceflute after Dinner by Tim Cranmore
/// MUSIC
I play the following pieces:
'Overture' from Dieupart Suite 1 from 'Suites de Clavessin':
imslp.org/wiki...
Prelude in D minor from 'L'art de la préluder' by Hotteterre
A mangled bar of Sonata 6 for flute and basso continuo by Locatelli
the opening of 'Gentle Walker' by Zana Clarke
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I love the tone of this instrument. I know it's baroque, but it has a very medieval feel to it. Very warm, I like it a lot. Like most kids, I was taught the recorder when I was a child, in school. I loved it so much! I was so sad when we had to give the instruments back. I wouldn't call myself "musical" and I never did pick up another instrument. But, I really did love playing the recorder.
Don't tell my wife, but I ordered my first recorder because of you.
What did she say?
@@bungiecoocoo She said I had enough instruments I didnt play, and she's right! I have to find the time to play more
Could be worse. If I order the alto that I have my eye on,, the shipping is free, but I'm on my own for paying a lawyer. She doesn't understand why anyone needs 4 alto recorders, silly woman.
That cheat reminds me of the old method for finding out how many horses you have. Count the hooves and divide by four.
bwa ha ha
lol
It all makes sense now
Voiceflute is actually my absolute favorite recorder of all time!!!! I’m ALWAYS playing it 🥰 the sound is just magical, sweet and elegant.
I’m a voice flute specialist for 6 years and am known as the Voice Flute Rock Star due to my control of the instrument and desire to push the instrument’s boundaries ... so good to see other enthusiasts out there! :)
hemiola07 wow. I actually got mine like 2.5 years ago when I was 17.... Im very lucky that I have the opportunity to own a proper instrument. I just wish that I would be more accessible for others as well.
@@tiko5555 Me too. My beloved blonde von Huene Bressan voice flute, affectionately known as Patrick’s Princess Aurora, cost me a whopping fortune (and Pat has since raised the price), but she was worth every penny, tonally and visually. Not only did she help me heal from college bullying, but she also took my recorder playing to a new level, made me love recorder more than ever, and instilled a lifelong love of French Baroque music. Most of all, she led me to study traverso eventually, and although my traversi are also lovely, Aurora will always be my “baby girl.” I am known to colleagues as the Voice Flute Rock Star due to my control of the instrument, and I constantly seek to push the boundaries, get others to play, and raise overall awareness for voice flute. In fact, I’m in the process of writing a method book ... geared for both recorder players and traverso players who wish to try voice flute (there are plenty, in fact). And as I’ve learned as my alter ego, there is a whopping lot more that this instrument can do besides English and French music if you have consummate control of the instrument. Make voice flute great again!!!!
I just discovered your channel. Thank Davie504. Your passion for and knowledge of the recorder is charming. I subscribed to your channel and ordered my first recorder.
I haven't played recorder since fourth grade, but I ended up staying for this whole video. Never heard of the voice flute before, but it's beautiful! And you, my dear, are enjoyable to watch and listen to.
Me neither but fascinated! Just getting back into recorder playing at age 63 and totally mesmerized by these videos. If they had been around decades ago I would have never given up! Thanks Sarah!
@@janetabbott5986 I don't think I've played a recorder since the 80s 😏. Mine must've gone into the bin or skip decades ago.
Beautiful sound! Thank you so much for posting. 🎶 🙏
Love the hair!
Thanks 😍 Embracing my natural curls finally..
@@Team_Recorder you’re so lucky to have such a beautiful natural texture!
@@Team_Recorder they are wonderful
I remember going to a concert played at French baroque pitch (392) where the Annabel Knight switched between traverso and voice flute. The voice flute used was therefore a tenor at 440!
I'm so happy to see a new video. It inspires me to keep studying and practicing the recorder.
I love the sound of this beautiful recorder. I have been busy amassing recorders since discovering your channel a couple of years ago. My favourite is my Sorel A415 alto in rosewood even though it seems to take so much more air than my ordinary A442 alto. Your enthusiasm for the recorder is contagious. Takayema make a couple of voice flutes but they are still quite pricey
I'm glad you're openly expressing these ideas. I have many qualms with the voice flute, but this video has been a great explanation to some of these issues!
YESS finally!!! I was hoping you would make a video on this instrument!! I love the sound of the instrument and was hoping for a more detailed video on it.
me too. i keep thinking, do I need to add a voice flute to my collection? why?
@@PetulaGuimaraes I’m a voice flute specialist who plays both traverso and recorder, and I say ... DO IT!!!!!!!! My beloved blonde Bressan von Huene voice flute, known as Patrick’s Princess Aurora, is my pride and joy, and she was worth every penny that I paid for her. Not only did she help me heal from college bullying, but she also instilled in me a lifelong passion for French music, a general deeper love for recorder, and led me to studying Baroque flute. I seek to raise awareness for this lovely instrument and push the boundaries of what it can do ... hence I am known as the Voice Flute Rock Star. I’m writing a method so everybody can learn to rock on voice flute, and would be most happy to answer any questions. Again, do it ... make voice flute great again!!!!!!!!!!
@@hemiola07 Wow, you inspired me! I definitely get that book when it is out! ;) I am a great reader for learning music, my preferred learning method.
@@PetulaGuimaraes Awesome!!! I’m working on it right now, with sections geared for both recorder players and traverso players who want to play. My number one tip is: Learn to actually think in D fingering. Don’t transpose. I know this sounds like a pain in the butt, but personally, if you do it, you can play ANYTHING you want on voice flute. Seriously. If you transpose or especially transpose using a transposed alto recorder version of a flute piece, you will greatly limit what you can play on voice flute. I have seen this with too many people, and it just dawned on me today that this is probably why nobody as far as I know has gone as far as I have with voice flute and repertoire. I taught myself to do it by telling myself that any note on voice flute is a third below what the note is on alto; for example, I would finger T123, ask myself, “If this is C on alto recorder, what is it on voice flute? Count down ... C, B, A ... It’s A.” Then I would blow it both while listening to the note and then while looking at the note on the page, memorizing that it is A. Slowly over time, I did this for every note, and grew to associate certain fingerings with certain notes such that when I looked at the note on the page, I automatically would think “Oh yeah, A” and then put down T123 without transposing. Trust me, this is SO worth it. Now, foremost tip number two: You MUST spend daily time - at least 30 minutes - with the voice flute like any other recorder, not just pick it up whenever you have to. This is the only way to fully get familiar with the instrument and thus be able to handle anything on it. Finally, you MUST know how to read both French clef and treble clef. This is of paramount importance, since most French music is in French clef. I would HIGHLY recommend you make flash cards with the note on one side and the fingering/note name on another and use them two ways: First, looking at the note, saying what it is, and flipping it over to see. Make a pile for those you know and those you don’t. Second, put the flash cards on your stand, look at the note, finger and blow it, then check on the back. I would also recommend you do this for treble clef such that you associate the note on the page with a certain fingering. Again, it’s all about associating the note on a page with a certain fingering ... and this way, you can “crack the code” with whatever piece you want to attempt, be it Monteclair, Caix d’Hervelois, Bach, or Quantz. And also, if you spend daily time with your voice flute and get to know it inside out as a distinct instrument, then you can make better decisions as to what traverso music fits on voice flute ... and when something is too traverso idiomatic and best stays on traverso. Whew, I know that was a mouthful, but since you are seriously considering a voice flute, I thought I would give my insider tips which I developed without a method book to help myself become the Voice Flute Rock Star I am today. Hope this helps ... and again, please please feel free to reach out with any additional questions!!!!!
What a wonderful subculture this is where a Bach Partita is eye-rollingly mainstream. Please never change, Team Recorder.
8:50 "pretend to read in bass clef and add 3 flats"
/me throws himself through the window
I’ve done similar with other instruments. It sounds intimidating at first, but your brain adjusts.
It's actually not that hard... You need to come over the brain fuck moment. It happens eventually! Patience is key!
Yeah I'm sure that if you put the time it can be done. But for me I would have to first learn bass clef ^^
Also I remember when I first switched from the soprano to the alto my brain was frying, the only trick I found was to keep the name of the soprano fingering in my head and associate it to another note on the score
lol a little melodramatic but I hear ya.
I learn all G, F, and C clef just for fun, and it help in transposition lol
I just need to say thank you for this video! Since I bought my voice flute a few years ago, I've been searching for something summarized like this!! Loved the David Lasocki article. 😊
Awesome info, Sarah! First the real question: Was the voice flute fully derived from the recorder family, or was it developed independently of it, but then incorporated itself? I ask as for reference example, the Euphonium seems like it would be a small tuba or a large trumpet to extend the families, but the tenor tuba and bass trumpet exist for those functions. The euphonium actually started from a prototype instrument called the Euphonion, and has no origin to either of the instruments it is so closely related to today. I would infer that if the transverso flute was roughly modeled after the tone and facility of the voice flute specifically, that it maybe wasn't meant to be a recorder family member in the first place? (Wild theory)(And now the silliness)
*movie announcer voice* "The Voice Flute: Shrouded in mystery. Exuding with passion. Not quite a tenor, not quite an alto, this loner seeks its place in its family, the tonal center, and the world. Coming Summer 2022."
That's so interesting about the euphonium! I never knew... I think it was definitely part of the recorder family, as we have recorders surviving in every single key. They would have varied into every conceivable pitch as tuning and temperament varied across space and time... But the limited range harks back to more like a renaissance recorder. I wish I could ask Bressan why!!!
@@Team_Recorder it sounds like a Renaissance recorder (wide bore), beautiful wood by the bye
When I started making I had access to a nice Bressan voice flute which played two octaves perfectly, as did the copies I made. However it was at 405 ( or thereabouts) so I had to shorten it for 415. Just shortening the centre knocked out the top notes, so the recorder had to be carefully scaled to regain the full range. Much later another maker scoffed at my voice flute as being ' only' a recorder in D, and that was the first I had heard of the idea that a voice flute had to have a limited range ! The Bressan in the Pitt Rivers museum in Oxford also plays two octaves.
Wow!!!!!! Thanks for sharing as a maker. I am a voice flute specialist and own an absolutely outstanding blonde Bressan copy by von Huene affectionately known as “Patrick’s Princess Aurora” who has a 2 1/2 octave range up to high A as in Bach partita. In fact, recently in a Zoom lesson with a noted European pro, I astounded him with my ability to pull of that note on a voice flute, and actually, my dear Aurora can do that note way easier than my Folkers and Powell Rottenburgh traverso. Being extensively around this instrument for six years as a specialist, I was also shocked when I heard that voice flutes had a limited range and that my Aurora’s high range is a modern modification to play traverso music. Just ask Patrick himself about that one ... he owns the original upon which all his voice flutes are based off. As a specialist, I seek to constantly push the voice flute’s boundaries beyond the typical English and French music, and let me tell you ... in the hands of someone who knows the instrument outside out, it can do so much more. I’ve successfully pulled of Bach partita, Frederick the Great sonatas, Suites by Monteclair, The Bach B Minor Suite, and the Blavet and Buffardin concertos. Every time, Aurora doesn’t disappoint, and although I have now picked up traverso as well, Aurora will always be my “baby girl” and is about to turn six this year. And I for my part will never believe that the voice flute has a limited range ... make voice flute great again!!!!! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I too was puzzled to hear about the supposed one and a half octave range of the Bressan. I built a Bressan copy in a recorder making class years ago and also have no trouble getting two and a half octaves, up to A.
@Max Ellent Thanks, all interesting information. I'll have to check out my dimensions and see if they tally with any known Bressan.
Cheers from rainy Vienna, Scott
@Max Ellent Thanks, I do have those drawings. I'll have to measure my voice flute and see if it was based on one of those.
@Max Ellent Indeed. But the proportions might tell me how close they are. In any case, a recorder that only has a range of a thirteenth would be pretty stumpy, like my very chubby early Renaissance alto, which really only has that range (discounting squeaks).
You have a nice weekend too. Cheers from rainy Vienna, Scott
The Diuepart may be my favorite piece of music. I was so exited to hear you play it.
A very engrossing tale ... as always learning something new helps us all become more well-rounded Recorder players, thanks Sarah
We do a similar trick with Eb saxophones. Take bass clef music in concert key and pretend it is treble clef and add 3 sharps. Very handy for playing tuba parts on a Bari.
I have a voice flute after Bressan in 415 that I built in a wonderful recorder making class by Alec Loretto many years ago. Sad to say, I've ended up playing more often in 440, so I've developed a new cheat to complement yours: I pretend I'm playing in bass clef, but instead of adding three flats, I add five sharps. Reading accidentals takes some getting used to.
Keep up the good work. Cheers from rainy Vienna, Scott
I love the shots at 0:19, where you're smiling at the tenor and look distressed about the alto.
Sarah thanks a lot, very inspiring! I just started with a Voice flute, so this video is just in time
Welcome to the club! I’m a voice flute specialist for six years now, and honestly I must say it’s the best recorder ever and can do WAY more than just play French and English music. I’m out to make the instrument great again and raise awareness, encourage others to try crazy voice flute stunts like me ... so if you have any questions, please let me know, and I’ll be happy to answer! :)
I just grabbed a Prescott VF! Can't wait to get started!
Wow, I love the tone, like a perfect meld of the tenor and alto. It reminds me of the way an oboe d’amore sounds like a perfect blend of oboe and cor anglais timbres.
Hi Sarah, another ripper video. I also have a Tim Cranmore 415 boxwood voice flute. My baroque band has a baroque flute, so after several decades playing together, we can finally share the low notes. Th voice flute really comes into it's own in trio sonatas with violins, often playing violin parts in voice flute friendly keys (Dmaj, Amaj). It cuts through in the lower register where the alto does not, and is a better match to the usually more powerful violin.
Excellent Sarah. Good you pointed out the fingerring differrences between traverso and voice flute.
And... Another aggravating thing about sight reading on the voice flute is that often the music is notated in french violin clef. Ugh!
Argh I didn't even GET to that bit!
I totally agree! That little pinky makes a world of difference. However, it was stated that F Major is straight forward and easy on traverso. It’s certainly not as complicated as voice flute but it still has at least 2 forked fingerings and the tonic (f) as well as others are still “weak” notes.
Voice flute specialist here ... Alert: Personal voice flute testimony ahead ... I’ve been a voice flute specialist for six years after falling in love with the instrument and didn’t realize that what I was doing with the instrument was anything unusual until I was told it was so. Anyway, I fell in love with voice flute after hearing Dan Laurin play it on his CDs, and after seeing Patrick von Huene’s lovely Bressan model on his website. Although my teacher at the time urged me to get over this voice flute obsession, I just couldn’t, and after three years of saving - including photographing outside at horse shows in 100 degree weather, I got a beautiful blonde von Huene Bressan which I affectionately christened Patrick’s Princess Aurora for the blonde color, regal nature, and beautiful voice. When I first got Aurora, I realized that yes ... I had to learn French clef, and I was nervous because in hand chime choir, I struggled to read bass clef being a violinist while the other kids in the group were pianists who could read both clefs. Rather than being patient with me and assigning me flash cards, the chime choir director expected me to learn just by looking at the picture on the chimes, and when I failed bass clef test after bass clef test before a Christmas concert, she assigned me to bang the drum for a piece instead. I was anything but happy and thought to myself, “I came here to play chimes, not to bang a drum!” .... and ever since then, I had a mental roadblock with reading bass clef. No amount of flash cards could help, and I was thoroughly convinced I couldn’t do it. However, because I loved voice flute and really wanted to play, I told myself that I had to learn to read French clef or no play voice flute. And number two was not an option. Hence, I worked at it every day, and soon I was reading fluently. Now I can read bass clef with no issues, and this is only one of many miracles my beloved Aurora worked on me as a musician .... :)
Hi Sarah ... It’s Kristina the Voice Flute Rock Star!!!! Thank you so much for making a video on my favorite instrument and my specialty ... very appropriate for me since my beloved von Huene voice flute and sidekick, Patrick’s Princess Aurora, is about to turn six years old this year. Wow, we have been partners in crime for six years already ... 😁. Anyway, great job and introduction ... And since you asked to hear from your viewers in the comments, I shall now proceed to give my thoughts and experiences regarding this instrument. Note: I can be a talker and since this is my passion, I could go on and on, but I’ll try to make this brief. OK ... so .... Regarding the big alto vs. tenor debate, I can honestly say after spending six years and countless hours with this instrument that I’m on the big alto side of the debate. This instrument plays, articulates, responds, and blows like an alto, but with a lower tessitura as we singers would say. Very much like a Hotteterre flute rather than your typical 415 pitch traverso. My Aurora is very very agile, and I can seriously get her to go up effortlessly to the high A required in the Bach partita. In fact, she is stronger with that than my Folkers and Powell Rottenburgh traverso. Aurora, as you may know, is a Bressan ... and Pat von Huene, her maker with whom I have a huge rapport for over a decade, and I have had extensive talks regarding the Denner vs. Bressan debate. Like Sorrel, Pat believes that the Denner is a tenor at high pitch; he says the internal bore dimensions are different, among many things, and the instrument is tonally quite different from a true voice flute such as a Bressan. In fact, the Denner responds more like a tenor, from what I have heard, but I haven’t tried one yet. Pat actually owns the original Bressan voice flute upon which my Aurora is based, and although it is barely playable, he makes gorgeous replicas like my Aurora, and if you are ever seeking another voice flute, don’t get scared off by the price ... get a von Huene!
As to voice flute vs. traverso and playing traverso music on voice flute, I have much to say since I play both instruments and know voice flute inside out, but again, I’ll make this brief. First and foremost, I make this very clear to everybody I speak to about the subject: Although both instruments are in D, voice flute is no traverso substitute, and can never be. It looks like a recorder, plays like a recorder, and responds like a recorder so therefore it is a recorder. There was a crowd of pros in my country who were promoting voice flute as a traverso substitute and stating that if you have a voice flute, you will never need a traverso ... and that is the biggest fallacy ever. I always knew, even before I had a traverso, that this is not true, and one time almost got into a heated argument with a noted pro at a lesson with her regarding the subject. Voice flute definitely has limitations - including the fingering being off by a minor second as you mentioned - and I could feel those when doing my “crazy voice flute stunts” early on in my journey. In fact, as time went on and I wished to expand into more traverso repertoire, I could feel the limitations of the voice flute catching up, and hence took the jump into traverso. Nonetheless, because I had been told that you could play any traverso repertoire on voice flute as long as it fit, I proceeded to go through the whole French repertoire (Monteclair, Dornel, Philidor, and more) play sonatas by Bach and Frederick the Great, and it never occurred to me that what I was doing was unusual until I was told it was so. My strategy when determining if a piece fits voice flute is to try the piece for a few days while paying close attention to how the piece is working out plus the idiosyncrasies of voice flute. If I feel after a few days that the piece does not work, I declare that it stays on traverso, put it aside, and move on to another prospective piece. This process takes a thorough knowledge of voice flute, and if I chose to do something that REALLY stretches the voice flute’s capabilities, I can only do it because I know the instrument inside out. Sometimes I have found that I can pull off a piece on voice flute that many others cannot because I have total knowledge and control of the instrument ... and this is why I often tell people when doing a crazy piece, “Don’t try this at home!!!!” Although historically voice flutes were not intended to play French music (this would have been a traverso job), they are very well suited to this, and French and English music fits best ... which makes sense since voice flute is an English instrument. I also have heard the theory that voice flute was resistance to traverso invading England and an attempt to keep recorder alive, and for various factors which I won’t get into in the name of being brief, I tend to believe that to be true. BUT ... I have found that with consummate control of a voice flute, you can do so much more ... and if people can do crazy classical music renditions on unusual instruments like banjo, xylophone, and even trash cans, then I can continue with the crazy voice flute stunts, no matter how much traverso I do. In fact, I am starting to see that traverso is making me an even more epic voice flute player, and I wouldn’t give up either instrument.
So ... in brief, there are some of my thoughts! I have plenty of personal voice flute stories and insights, and would be glad to answer any questions! And should you wish to ever interview me about this amazing instrument, feel free! I’m all about raising awareness for this lovely instrument and stretching the possibilities of what it can do. Make voice flute great again ... yeah!!!!!!!!!!
The Bach Partita 1013 sounds particaularly haunting on the voice flute... There's a video floating around on here of someone doing it! I need to start saving up a grand or so and buy one!! 😆
Wow!! The Voice flute sounds interesting!! 😁
Thanks Sarah. You've made me get out my voice flute after not playing it for years. It's my favourite of all recorders as far as sound is concerned. I'm very naughty and because I only play it while alone, I just play as though it's a tenor, thus transposing up a tone.
That’s fine too, I do that playing Van Eyck all the time 😊
David Lasocki was the head research librarian at Indiana University where I studied with Eva Legêne.
2:35 "in fact there are recorders existing in every key"...
*Enharmonic Legrenzi enters saying* : "In every key?"
I am a piano player. What have you done! €8 plastic soprano, €30 tenor soprano, €100 plastic yamaha tenor, plans to use my chrismas present to get a nice wooden tenor or alto or voiceflute, €30 on books, €20 a week for lessons and it isn't even my instrument. 0 regrets. Playing both is amazing.
Tenor soprano? Obviously O meant wooden soprano.
I love alto and tenor recorder. I can't wait to get a voice flute.
I’m a voice flute specialist and say ... do it!!!!!!!!!! I’ve owned a beautiful blonde von Huene Bressan affectionately known as Patrick’s Princess Aurora, or Aurora for short due to her blonde color, regal nature, and gorgeous voice. Aurora is my loyal sidekick, and I bonded with her immediately. I go beyond the typical French and English music generally played on voice flute ... I can do Bach sonatas, Buffardin and Blavet concertos, and even Classic Era flute pieces that fit. Aurora, who is almost about to turn six years old this year, continues to amaze me each day ... She is very agile, and can go up to the high A in the Bach partita. Not only did Aurora help me heal from bullying in college, but she also led me to Baroque flute and instilled in me a lifelong love of French Baroque music. I can’t say how much I love my little girl and how much a voice flute can do ... I’m out to make the instrument great again!!!!!!!
so nery, loving it. Made me quite happy listening to this today.
I can sing an octave lower then tenor recorder 😂😂😂 Thanks for this video!! I always wondered what's the voiceflute))
I have very recently bought a Voice Flute by Tim Cranmore @ a=440 - principally so I can play that recorder 'colour' with other musicians in our folk band who play at modern pitch. It still has that dark, yet creamy tone quality that puts me in mind of caramel - but with the agility to bounce along when needed. If I'm playing completely solo airs I sometimes just use tenor fingerings (G sounds as A) but revert to Voice Flute fingerings if playing Baroque music in its written key (sharp keys please, life's too short). Apparently there's another Voice Flute reading hack when looking at facsimiles of scores using the French Violin Clef where you play reading as if playing an alto.... (over to you Sarah....).
The alternate cheat - pretend to read alto but play a minor third higher - sounds like how the French baroque violin clef works (as long as you remember to alter the key).
I’ve mentioned it on another video, but it bears repeating (I think)-Telemann showed how this works in the duet of his fifth lesson of „Der Getreue Music-Meister”. (Granted, in that lesson, he used the French violin clef for the recorder, and the standard treble clef for the traverso (and so, directly readable on the voice flute).
This is a similar issue to the flute d’amour. I think the issue is that composers aren’t as specific about which instrument they wanted, and there are some times where it was up to the performer to use a specific instrument, or as available
What a great video! I always assumed (not being a recorder player) that the Dieupart Overture was played on Tenor recorder but no! It's a Voice Flute.. If you listen to Dieupart you will grow to love the Voice Flute..
Well, Bach's partita may be somewhat commonplace but it is a beautiful piece.
Love these nerdy videos of yours, keep them coming 😇
I can only imagine the effort and the research that are hidden under the surface of this kind of videos... BUT... No, nothing! I simply love them! Nice work, Sarah! :)
Ah, the joys of transposition ... my head hurts now. Mind you, it's all jolly interesting, thank you Sarah. I'm inclined to go for the stunted tenor rather than the overgrown treble, for no good reason at all really.
all these videos with you playing make me want to run to play as well!
Hi Sarah I would love to hear your thoughts on the Chalumea. I love the sound. It seems to be like a recorder but with less range. But I am old and may have misunderstood. Love the channel, by the way.
My voiceflute is also by Tim Cranmore and I love it to bits. I found it easier just to learn to play it as a D instrument, rather than a bass with three flats. It still took me years to learn to play it. It's a lot easier now that I'm playing French baroque on it.
Awesome to see others do so! I’m a voice flute specialist who also plays traverso, and I too play it as an actual D instrument. I first got infatuated with voice flute in college after hearing recordings of Dan Laurin playing Blavet and Bach on voice flute, and seeing Patrick von Huene’s gorgeous Bressan copy on his website, and I literally told myself that after I got a good 415 alto, I would get a voice flute. The infatuation and desire got so strong over the next few years that at times, I would break into tears I wanted a voice flute so bad, and over three years, I saved up, even photographing outside in 100 degree heat at horse shows. Finally in Thanksgiving 2014, I chose my beautiful blonde von Huene and affectionately christened her “Patrick’s Princess Aurora” for her blonde color, gorgeous voice, and regal nature. Aurora soon took over my heart, but then I was wondering: How would I learn D fingering without a method book or fingering chart? How should I proceed to learn voice flute in general? My current recorder teacher at that time was so against transposing, so I knew that was not the route to go. And I also had to overcome a major mental roadblock since a bad experience in hand chime choir: Reading bass clef and thus French clef. But I loved voice flute so much I told myself I needed to do it, and somehow I would figure out a way. So, initially, I first taught myself to play the D major scale, and then I would finger a note, ask myself “If this is C on alto, what would it be on voice flute”, count down a third, then blow the note and say, “This is A.” Having perfect pitch which I retrained to accept historical pitch definitely helped, and soon I was associating specific fingerings with specific notes in a matter of days. I also caught on to French clef faster than I thought, and in two days had started learning Hotteterre Eccos (In treble clef, but then in a few days I added Monteclair in French clef). My teacher, who had told me to get over my voice flute infatuation, saw me in two weeks and declared very excitedly that I was a natural on voice flute, and from then on never fussed about my infatuation with the voice flute. I proceeded to go on not only to learn French music, but also to learn Bach, Telemann, Quantz, Buffardin, and more ... and never did it occur to me that what I was doing was unusual until I was told so, and when I initially picked up traverso, someone shamed me for playing voice flute so much that I stopped playing and got super sick. Fortunately, a wonderful cast of friends helped me see through the toxic individual, get a grip on myself, and distance myself. Nowadays, I am super super proud to play both traverso and voice flute ... and honestly, come to think of it, it’s even more incredible that I can remember TWO distinct systems of D fingering and pull of the same pieces on both. It CAN be done, and as I say in general about voice flute when I remember what the individual who shamed me said about it cannot be done, “What’s to say it can’t be done?” Beware of the Voice Flute Rock Star!!!!!!
Was looking around and found that Bernolin now offers a resin Stansbury D 415 voice flute. Not sure when that was added to their range. Very tempting...
Great video! How about telling more about Csakan's story?
Exactly!!!
ruclips.net/video/oAsayCruueE/видео.html
Ooh nice idea!
Looking forward to your sixth flute video 😛
OMG that sound is like butter !
Do the "Fourth Flute" next! Would love to hear you review the Küng Folklora Soprano Recorder in Bb! (My interest is that they are great for people with small hands who have trouble even with the Alto.)
There is also a contemporary voice flute solo music (with voice) by Mu-Xusan, Lin composed in 2008 😀
Great video thanks so much. I love the voice flute. I'm a traverso player but I really love playing flute music on this. But its fun playing oboe music on tenor as well. I suppose really this is basically an octave lower than a sixth flute.
Wonderful video -- thanks for the interesting and useful information.
Playing both. I think i agree. Playing traverso once you get into flat keys (which are common and have special sound on traverso) it foesnt quick work sk well on voice flute, and the character is completely changed.
Found this episode to be extremely interesting. Thank you!
14:10 The sound your produced from Zana Clarke's piece was amazing and slightly scary Sarah!!
“Bach’s pitata but not like that”, I liked that, the effect that is.
"Lully!" Love the enthusiasm. I know no other presenter who would announce the name of that composer with such enthusiasm! Lully, who was Louis XIV's favorite composer, and who knew how to cultivate the king's love for his works. Indeed, Lully had the most important task of composing "musique digne d'un Roy" (i.e. music worthy of [being played for] a King), which was reflected by a very pompous, yet light enough style to dance upon, with much percussion (rhythm was paramount) and often with exotic accompaniment, as his ballets were often about stories in far-away places. In fact, Lully was Italian (he changed it from Lulli to Lully to make it look more French), and his ballet music was imported from his native Italy, where it was already popular. Lully was a clever businessman without scruples, which didn't win him many friends at the Court. Most notoriously, Lully was the official "musicien du Roy" and had exclusive producing rights on all music played for Louis XIV ! Never a professional artist (apart from the official "king's buffoon") had ever reached such a rank in the history of France. He also was openly bisexual, and his career ended up abruptly and in disgrace in 1685 when he was caught " en flagrant délit" with a still pubescent teen at the court. He died just a couple of years later, not exactly getting the type of funerals he had been expecting being a King's favorite....
I can understand the general level of enthusiasm of our hostess when she exclaimed: "Lully!!" as in "What am I gonna do explaining that guy a little bit...?" So funny :)
Louis XIV and Lully RULE my life!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh I’m getting so excited just thinking about it and writing this!!!!!!!! Right down to owning period coins from the time of Louis XIV and a genuine Sevres plate from the time of Louis XV to having everything Louis XIV that I can find ... it’s like a favorite sports team to me and I go crazy any time the subject is mentioned. I’m a voice flute specialist and traverso playing in training who ADORES everything French Baroque and got VERY involved in researching Louis XIV after I found out as a Catholic that he had a late life and genuine conversion of heart under the influence of Madame de Maintenon. To begin with, I was shamed over my voice flute by a certain individual, and it got so bad I stopped playing voice flute and got very sick. Additionally, the fellow pretended to be a historian, and when he found out I was educated about history, he chose to string me along instead of telling the truth and say all books I read were unscholarly. So when I distanced myself from that situation, I told myself what Mom had always told me: That I could learn about anything I wanted and that I could do so without being dependent on anybody else, and I chose Louis XIV as my topic, since I adore French music. Although I expected to read one biography of a narcissist, womanizer, and disgusting man, that conversion story totally surprised me and touched me, bringing immediate healing and leaving my heart begging for more. Before I knew it, I was doing full fledged research, reading everything I could find and even learning French so I can eventually read the primary sources. It’s almost two years for me, and wow have I learned so much and could go on and on about it! Plus, I discovered the wonderful film Le Roi Danse about Louis and Lully, and immediately when I viewed it for the first time while sick in bed, I could feel the spell of the toxic individual immediately leave me ... it was so magical to see all the characters I was reading about in depth coming to life. I proceeded to track down a very rare copy of the film and have a watch party with a friend amid the pandemic ... complete with a 45-minute pre-movie lecture by me based on my research. Wow that was a blast!!!! I listen to the soundtrack daily while reading about Louis XIV, and can honestly say Jean Baptiste Lully broke the spell the toxic individual had over me. And to top things off, I just acquired a lovely Wenner Hotteterre flute that is a replica of the flutes you would have seen in Louis’ court; I have named the instrument “Apollon Dieudonne de Martin”, or “Apollo” for short, in honor of Louis, and I even bestowed Louis’ middle name Dieudonne upon my Apollo because, like Louis was a gift from God to his parents after 22 years of no heir due to marital problems, my Apollo is a gift from God to me amid the pandemic and also in helping me heal from the scars of the one who scarred me so deeply. So I’m totally NUTS over anything Louis XIV and Lully inasmuch as anything voice flute ... we need more people to be so!!!!
BTW check out Le Roi Danse and RHF Scott’s biography of Lully ... you are in for a giant treat!!!!!!!!! :). Spoiler alert for the book: There is a fart joke and a buffoon stage blooper story included ... And as to my research on Louis XIV and Madame de Maintenon, I really really hope and wish to write a book someday to share this incredible story with a new generation. Please wish me luck! :)
"I know no other presenter who would announce the name of that composer with such enthusiasm!"
TwoSet, when they announce Sibellius.
I love Lully's music as well.
Lucie Horsch played Debussys Syrinx on the voice flute, sounds amazing. 😮
Hello Sarah, I think you do know it already: a few weeks ago, I exchanged with Vincent Bernolin. He is actually working on a voice flûte made of resin. He thinks it will be "ready" before the end of the year (2023) and will cost about 7-800€ +TVA, which is just about half the price of the cheepest wooden voice flûte. I suppose their quality will be comparable to his alto resin recorders ... so this is very good news!
Thanks for the interesting video! The debate about high tenor or low alto will maybe never come to an end 😉 and in the end, it doesn't really matter 😁 So, when comes the tutorial for G- Altos or - bassets?
I had to laugh, when I read the video description - you wrote, your voice Flute is made after "dinner" 😊
Haha just updated the captions, thanks 😂
@@Team_Recorder Maybe your update didn't work? It still says "after Dinner", twice in your text... Or maybe you were hungry when you wrote it? 😉
What amazing information! Thank you so much for this!
Thank you for the knowledge ❤️
Just bought a wonderful new bass recorder - but every time I see a new video by Sarah about some "special" recorder, I want it - so by now, I have to save up for a Helder Tenor and Denner Voice Flute..... o dear, will this ever come to an end??? ;-)
"Endless recorder shopping list" lol
I've heard this...Q. How many recorders does a recorder player need? A. Just one more!
I bought one at a yard sale, thanks for explaining why I can't play rock and roll on it.
I love the voice flute!
Me too!!!! I’m a specialist who also plays traverso (yep I know both systems of D fingering) and am known as the Voice Flute Rock Star because I constantly push the instrument ... and it can do a lot. Frederick the Great, Buffardin and Blavet concertos, Bach Suite in B Minor ... you name it! And playing traverso has made me stronger ... make voice flute great again!!!!!!!!
Thank you sooo much for finally making this video!!!! :)
Congratulations on finally getting the exposure right! :)
What I wanted was a 300/400-series Yamaha voice flute. What we got was the Venova. Sigh.
I have a soprano in D. An "octave voice flute", if you like, or the 'sixth flute' of the baroque era. Mine is in German fingering. I reckon folk whistle players who also play recorders should love D recorders. It puts the G fingering of the alto onto E, enabling a nice fingering fix for the key of E, which fiddlers like, but whistle players hate, due to the need for D#, often a tricky half-hole on small holed D whistles like my Clarke, especially at speed. Mind you, my D soprano has single holes, so I still have a tricky half holed low D# leading note!
What would you say is better, a voice flute or sixth flute?
@@monkey4402 The "voice flute" and the "sixth flute" is essentially the same thing. The very bottom note of the recorder is the note D, which would be the note C on a soprano ("descant") recorder. The voice flute is the one in the alto tessitura; the one I have is in the soprano tessitura, up high.
@@marklammas2465 Essentially, if you had to use one for solos, and at a cheaper rate, which would you prefer?
Great video. Thanks for all that you do!
6:23 That is a portrait of Jean-Baptiste Lully, not Loeillet!
Lovely
Video
Hypothesis: The voice flute is a whistle that became a recorder. Let me explain.
The flageolet from which recorders and whistles descend were very often pitched in D. This is still true today in of the most popular whistle models---both the "standard" soprano tin whistle and the low D whistle (though C instruments are also common. c.f. Clarke). For this reason, many folk ensembles continue to play traditional tunes in D or G.
In classical music, where instruments were more or less expected to be fully chromatic, instruments standardized on C, F, Bb and rarely G or Eb instruments (though the popularity of the alto saxophone, Jimi Hendrix, and Rachmaninoff 2 has made Eb almost seem normal). In this setting, a recorder in D, where the most easiest keys are G, D, A and E, is quite lost. Playing in C on an instrument in D is bad enough. Playing in flat keys? forget about it!
However, while sharp keys are not the most widely used keys in baroque and classical (in the narrow sense; Hayden to Beethoven) art music, they persisted in folk music. The guitar has earned its place in classical music because of a few fine concertos and the fact that it is an exceptional instrument for performing continuo, but it is still essentially a folk instrument. It's the "we don't need no stinking orchestra because I can sling this stupid thing over my back and play chords and percussion at the same time" instrument. Though the guitar is scored in C, it is really a G instrument---a sharp-key folk instrument. It plays comfortably in C, G, D, A and E. F is not a great key for guitar. Bb is worse. Eb can go to hell. As you can tell, I am a frustrated guitar player. Of course, we can always use a capo.
Even today, if you listen to popular music, it's mostly in sharp keys. I play in church every week in a sort of contemporary worship ensemble---i.e. a rock band. (I play mostly electric guitar and electric bass, but also whistle and cello as often as they let me). We play most songs in G and D. We occasionally play in A or E. (rarely F or C) A recorder in D tuned to 440 would be a perfect match for these keys, just as the whistle in D continues to match most of what we do. If I ever get to play my clarinet for church, it will make a lot more sense to use an instrument in A than an instrument in Bb.
Popular music favors sharp keys. This is the reason for the voice flute. It's the pop recorder. I would buy a recorder in D today if I could get it tuned to A=440. As it is, I struggle on with modern recorders, just trying to eek out songs in D and G (OK, well, things could be much worse)
I'm sorry this was so long, and anyone who makes it this far wins a prize, but, like a bad prize: You will never get these last five minutes back.
Interesting hypothesis, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that the recorder "descended" from the flageolet. The recorder and flageolet both descended from earlier fipple flutes, whose history fades away into ancient times. And recorders in D already existed as a part of recorder consorts, mentioned at the latest by Praetorius in 1609, playing repertoire that had nothing to do with "popular" music.
But yeah, there might well have been some influence on the Baroque voice flute from flageolets.
Hi, thank you for your very interesting comment. It explained a lot to me. Iam searching for an explanation, why most old folkmusik is written in D/G/A.
Found so in the kingston tunebook.
And I got sheet music from an old handwriting called Dahlhoff. About 1750 -1790. Collection of mostly easy folk dance music.
I tried to play some easy pieces from this collection and found they are mostly in D/ G or A.
In England the folk music instruments are the fiddle, pipes, guitar and melodeon, I guess.
The Melodeon in England is mostly in D/G and you also have the most needed notes for A-Major at hand. Playing in a group lacking the bass acomplement is no big deal.
Now I have search the YT for the most commen/liked Major scales on the Violin and guess what. Its G/D/A/E. And of course they practise C-Major.
Same as the guitar.
I tried to play along to some people singing their songs and guess what. Most wanted was the D-Scale. Amazingly sometimes the Bb-Scale.
@@paulaalto3034 Melodean? 👀 Never heard of that one. 🤔
Great video! Love its nerdiness
Play an instrument in D can be difficult some times, the sheets with a lot of flats are just a pure torture to play😅 (c flat major...)
I just ordered a yahama psr 24b
Really interesting!! Thank you 😊😊
Can you please make a video showing all the notes on a voice flute like you did for other recorders?
I like the vOice of the Voiceflute😀
Sibelius on a voice flute? Why not?? "Flickan kom infran" in Db is wonderful: play the voice flute as if you were playing in F on a treble (what could be easier?) and it comes out Db (modern pitch) while the piano plays in Db as written. Or, with for example Boismortier in G minor (opus 44 no. 4) play it on a vf while the harpsicord plays from the flute score (in E) and this of course works for any piece transposed up a 3rd: you play it on a vf pretending it's a treble, and the harpsichordist plays, pretending it's a traverso.
Your french is spot on!
😅
I would second that ... “C’est bon!!!!”
Hello 🙋 Sarah, thanks for getting back to me. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find recorders in B flat or fourth flutes as you describe them. I believe that's because I'm here in the States. Could you Please give me at least one manufacturer of "Fourth Flutes". Thanks again for your concern.
So good. Do you play Irish music on it?
15:16 - So the market today wants voice flutes to play Bum Bum Tam Tam?
"Up here… down there…" - is a pretty blue bit of wall and a bit of door, Sarah! You won't get Patron subscribers if you forget to add the links where you are pointing! Still, a very impressive bit of work! Thank you!
Haha thanks Ann, I fixed it!
Beautiful playing, Ms. Jefferey!
I have a CD of the Dieupart sonatas (François Dieupart, c.1667-c.1740) - Hugo Reyne, flûte de voix; Alain Viau, violin (Suite no. 3); Philippe Pierlot, viola da gamba; Pascal Monteilhet, archlute; Pierre Hantaï, harpsichord. EMI Classics.
There is also a 2001 recording of these Dieupart sonatas by Francis Colpron, Susie Napper and Skip Sempé on the canadian label Atma.
When will we see a version by Sarah Jeffrey?
I love the hair, too
You know... the recorder is a mandatory course for those majoring in Music Education. One semester but I'm considering studying the recorder as a second instrument. And your channel showed me that the recorder is an AMAZING instrument. Too bad in Brazil having good recorders are as expensive as owning a entry level car which is at least 30x the minimum wage. A plastic recorder costs here about 17x more expensive (yes those from Yamaha) and you can add the taxes. But someday I'll be able to have good instruments. And this video is so educative. Thank you, Sarah.
Pedro, conheces o trabalho do Marcos Ximenes, luthier de Fortaleza? Eu tive a oportunidade de tocar em traversos e flautas-doces dele há alguns anos e são instrumentos de qualidade, fabricados cá no Brasil, a valores ajustados à nossa realidade. Creio que ele também construa a flauta de voz. Dá uma procurada no trabalhado dele; ele é bastante solícito. Abraços.
@@sg_dan não conheço mas vou procurar. Obrigado por falar. ❤
@@pedrohbrinck Por nada! De curiosidade fui olhar o site dele, e lá diz que ele produz uma cópia baseada em Bressan, então acho que é válido mandar um email perguntando sobre valores. :)
Damn! 😱
Do you have one now?
Maybe someone could buy one and send it to you as a present. 🤔
It's "only" £6.49 for a cheap one on eBay over here. No idea whether it's any good though.
For that price, I'd buy one for myself. But I need the money for flute books.
@@1Flyingfist Thank you for your kindness. I bought Yamaha plastic instruments. When possible I'm going to purchase a good wooden instrument.
So, if Baroque music is all about color, shouldn't the choice of recorder depend on matching the recorder to the desired color? Which should suggest that the voice flute would be just as useful as altos and tenors? So if tone color dictates survival, shouldn't voice flutes be (nearly) as common as tenors and altos?
Amazing Video, you should of play some blavet flute sonata on it.
Ohhhhh I almost did! I had the second movement of his 2nd flute sonata all prepared... but realised I've played that in like 2 or 3 other videos, so I threw in some Locatelli instead 😂
@@Team_RecorderNever enough Blavet
Hahaha so true!!!! I was cyberbullied by an individual who hated voice flute and shamed me so much that I stopped playing, so now that I am away from the toxic individual, I am deliberately learning the Blavet concerto on voice flute just to prove the troll wrong, since he declared that Blavet should not and cannot be done on voice flute. And since I am a voice flute specialist plus a traverso player, I can make this come true ... and honestly, it’s working out pretty great. Same with the Buffardin concerto. This instrument can do a lot more than just French and English music, and as my colleagues say of me, “Beware of the Voice Flute Rock Star!!!!!”
I also read VF as if it's bass clef using F fingerings and add the flats. Definitely not foolproof, though, especially when real accidentals appear in the music. And not approved by The Elders, either. Just learn the fingerings.
Also, I wonder why it wasn't called "Alto d'amore" since other instruments (oboe and flute for example) have a "d'amore" size that's a minor third lower.
I frequently havwe to make the same transposition on flute playing Eb alto sax charts in jazz. You will quickly get accustomed to dealing with accidentals, and just think "up/down a half step" whenever an accidental pops up.
Hi loved this video!! Would love to try it out too😄 would someone suggest a good store to buy it from (preferably in India) ? I looked it up.. But as you said its not commonly heard of...please do!
As far as I know they're available either from the recorder builders themselves, or at specialist stores like the Early Music Shop in London. I know they do ship worldwide!
Von Huene Workshop. I’m a voice flute specialist, and I own a gorgeous and exceptional 2014 von Huene Bressan voice flute affectionately known as “Patrick’s Princess Aurora” for her blonde boxwood, regal nature, and gorgeous tone. While Aurora and all other voice flutes are not traverso substitutes (I’m a traverso player also thanks to Aurora and my special bond with her), she continues to amaze me every day with her agility, sky high register (she can do the high A for Bach partita), and so much more. Don’t let the price tag of $2800 scare you off ... it’s worth every penny. Trust me. Pat makes his instruments 100% by hand, and his perfectionist craftsmanship is incredible beyond words. You will not get a “lemon” out of von Huene Workshop, and not only are von Huenes awesome instruments, but they are also incredible eye candy. Truly a work of art, tonally and visually. Aurora is about to turn six this year, and has matured into an incredible instrument beyond my wildest expectations. Contact Pat von Huene today!
@@hemiola07 Ok I've read several of your comments and I'm convinced you write copy for an ad agency lol
@@gardeniainbloom812 Nope! Just genuine passion 100%! 😉. After being cyberbullied and shamed over my voice flute, I have decided that nothing will ever get in the way of my passion again ... and that I should just be myself, share it with others ...
@@hemiola07 Good for you. I support your enthusiasm. I cannot imagine why anyone would cyber bully nor shame you for playing the voice flute. What a strange thing to do. I asked above if you have a link to your music. I would love to hear a voice flute rock star.
Got all that but just prefer a baroque tenor after denner. Has the low C and matches male voice with projected strong lower sound and warm tone?
It seems to me, at least when I play a tenor recorder, the intonation is more tricky then alto, soprano, etc. The voice flute sounded a little pitchy to me, as well. Are intonation issues with tenors a known thing, or is it just a personal issue I seem yo have?
Nice, can you play Though the Fire and Flames on recorder? :)
When you wonder if a player is so small that alto looks so large or how a player manages to reach the last hole on a tenor without a key - it's a voiceflute 😁