Welcome to the Flute Database!

The Flute Database results from my Ph.D. research about the simple system flute (1790 – 1850), its performance practice and chamber music repertoire with fortepiano and / or strings. It contains two tables which can be chosen in the upper right corner of the database.

1) Repertoire for Flute with Fortepiano and / or Strings

At the moment this database contains 825 chamber music works between app. 1785 and app. 1860 that I have looked through during my research.

2) Fingerings

This database contains at the moment 5827 fingerings for the simple system flute depicted in 164 flute methods of which most of them date between 1782 and 1891.

How to search

1) Database Repertoire:

Certain search combinations do not always lead to results (Example: Composer: Fürstenau + Instrumentation: fl = no result). In these cases you have to search every field separately.

Year: search either the precise year (ex.: 1823) or the first three numbers if you want to search in decades (ex.: 184 = 1840 till 1849).

Notes reflect my personal opinion about the works. These opinions are not definite as taste can change. I did not play every single piece. Sometimes I had to evaluate a piece in a very short amount of time. This might have lead to wrong decisions, however, several colleagues asked me to include these notes.

2) Database Fingerings:

Tone holes are depicted by big and small letters: X for closed holes, Xh for half closed holes and O (o) for open holes or keys that have to be used.

Basic holes: OOO/OOO

Additional keys (little o’s): oOoOoOo/OOoO/o = high A (only Fahrbach) C Bb G# / F / D#

If a key is not used (pressed down) it does not appear.

Fingerings with all holes closed: XXX/XXX/XXXXX (low A only Italian Berbiguier)

Certain research combinations do not always lead to results (ex.: Composer: Fürstenau + Instrumentation: fl = no result). In these cases you have to search separately.

Numeration, Abbreviation: represent an abbreviation of a certain method (Example: dev03 = Devienne method from Vienna 1800). Numbers at the end of the numeration depict the order of fingerings mentioned in the methods. Example: dev03.04 = the fourth fingering of the fingering chart dev03.

Year: search either the precise year (ex.: 1823) or the first three numbers if you want to search in decades (ex.: 184 = 1840 to 1849).

All notes are by the author of the method.