Jean-Baptiste Loeillet (1680-1730) England
Loeillet was born on November 18, 1860 and moved to England in 1705. He became very well-known as a performer of one-keyed flute and harpsichord, as well as a composer. He was appointed principal flute in the King's Theatre Orchestra and also gave flute and harpsichord lessons. He wrote many works for flute and for other instruments until his death in 1730.
Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773) Germany
Quantz was born on January 30, 1697, the son of a blacksmith. When he was nine, he began to work as a blacksmith. After his parents died, he was free to experiment with music and he learned to play many different instruments. He traveled widely and continued to play and study music. He started seriously studying the flute in 1719, and quickly realized that there was a lack of music for flute players to perform, so he studied composition and began to compose new flute works. He was a very prolific composer, and throughout his life, he composed about 300 flute concertos, 200 flute solos, sonatas, duets, trios, studies, and more. While composing, he continued to travel throughout Europe. During a visit to France, he added a key to his one-keyed flute. During this time, he also taught lessons and made flutes. Quantz later became a court musician for Frederick II in Prussia, for whom he played, composed, conducted, and made flutes. In 1752, Quantz invented a head joint tuning slide. He died in 1773.
Friederich Kuhlau (1786-1832) Denmark
Kuhlau was born in 1786 in Denmark. He was a very talented musician at a young age and he studied piano, flute, violin, voice, and composition. Unfortunately, he lost an eye when he was getting water from the well and he fell down. Nevertheless, in 1810 he became the principal flutist in Denmark's Royal Orchestra and also composed operas for the king. He became friends with Beethoven, who wrote a canon for him based on his name. He continued to write opera and chamber music. In 1830, his house burned down and many of his manuscripts, some unpublished, were lost. Both his parents died the same year. Kuhlau died just two years later. Although much of his work was lost, he is well-known today as a composer of great flute music.
Theobald Boehm (1794-1881) Germany
Boehm was born in Germany on April 9, 1794. He was the son of Karl Frederick Boehm, a goldsmith and jewler. Boehm became an apprentice to his father and attended a drawing school. He also loved music, especially the flute. In 1810 he made his own flute with four keys. He studied flute and flute making, and within two years he became the principal flute of an orchestra, while continuing to work as a jewler and goldsmith. He later became a court musician and studied compositon. Boehm became frustrated with the many imperfections of his instrument, so he started his own flute factory and spent many years perfecting a new flute with a key system that is much like the one used today. His new design started a revolution in flute playing, and the superiority of the new Boehm flute was widely contested until the 1900s when it became the standard. He also invented the alto flute. Boehm continued to teach music and compose until his death in Germany in 1881.
Giulio Briccialdi (1818-1881) Italy
Briccialdi was born in Italy on March 1, 1818. He was taught by his father. When his father died in 1821, Briccialdi had to run away from home so he would not have to start a church career, like his parents had wanted. He went to Rome, where he later studied at the Academy of St. Cecilia. He traveled widely, and in 1847 he went to Germany and switched to the Boehm system flute. He is known for his addition to Boehm's design, the Briccialdi B-flat thumb key, and for his composition "Carnival of Venice."
Claude-Paul Taffanel (1844-1908) France
Taffanel was born in France on September 16, 1844. At age 17, he began to play flute, violin, and piano. He quickly became well-known as an incredible flute player. In 1860 he entered the Paris Conservatory and won first prize the same year. In 1864, he became the first flute at the Grand Opera, a group he would later conduct. In 1893 he was appointed flute professor at the Paris Conservatory, and in 1897, he also began to conduct the orchestra there. In 1900 he began conducting for the French government. Taffanel also composed several pieces for flute throughout his life.
Carl Joachim Anderson (1847-1909) Denmark
Anderson was born in 1847 in Denmark. He was well-known as an old-system flutist (he did not play the new Boehm flute), composer, and conductor. He studied flute with his father, played in several orchestras, and made solo tours. He also composed solos and etudes for the flute.
Jean-Pierre Rampal, James Galway, Ian Anderson, Julius Baker, Jeanne Baxtresser, and many more... Click here to go to the list of links to flutists' homepages!
