The Flute (review)

We learn from the author's preface and introduction to The Flute that this book is not a study of repertoire, acoustics, or mechanical development; nor is it research or musicology. He admits that "acoustics have found no place in the present volume," "A full study of the flute's repertoire also lies beyond our scope" (p. 5), and his work "does not set out to extend the boundaries of scholarship any further by contributing new material" (p. ix). Although limiting himself to history, Powell claims that "The purpose of this volume is not merely to present facts" (p. 5). Indeed, he has assiduously gathered and summarized a large body of published material and draws upon his experience as a flute maker to add useful observations. Clarifying his purpose, he writes, "A rich sense of heritage, I feel sure, could do much to enrich the sterile music-making so often heard today from players of historical as well as modern flutes" (p. 5). Remarkably, this characterization of flutists emerges as a theme that is followed throughout, so it seems that Powell proceeds at the risk of offending his intended audience.

As such, this work is difficult to classify immediately. Its methodology and content can be best understood as a particular selection of material taken from various published sources which Powell paraphrases and arranges into chapters. Written in a breezy narrative style, he assigns chapter titles such as "The Flute at War and at Home," but omits subheadings. The result is less a work of history than a series of essays pertaining to the flute, and a book that is cumbersome to navigate. Its usability is reduced by its organization which places notes for all chapters at the end of the book using chapter numbers for page headings in lieu of the chapter titles, although some sections of text omit notes altogether. The absence of a bibliography leaves to readers the task of wading through notes and annotations. Although Powell claims to be writing history, his work lacks a systematic approach and provides no tangible basis for the selection of one fact over another. Simple facts such as birth and death dates need correcting. For example, Jacques Martin Hotteterre was born in 1673 not 1674; Michel de Labarre died in 1745 not 1743; and Pierre Naust died in 1709 not 1734. In the style of a raconteur, he pieces together snippets from published sources, connecting these pieces of history with broad generalizations. With concern he notes, "in fact, information is so copious that I have been at constant pains to find ever more drastic ways of summarizing it" (p. ix), the result of which is a text marred by superficial discussion.

Although a good number of plates are included, for the most part, they are well-recognized images from published sources. Plate descriptions offer minimal detail. For example, the description for plate 50 showing Paul Taffanel holding a flute does not identify this historically important instrument as no. 600 by Louis Lot, purchased originally by Taffanel's teacher, Louis Dorus, in 1860, and the one Taffanel preferred throughout his career. Photographs of flutes suitable for study purposes are simply missing. The book's only photograph of flutes (plate 41), showing instruments by Theobald Boehm from the Dayton C. Miller Collection, is of poor quality and little information on the material, length, or keys is given. Powell suggests that his book is meant to fill the lacuna for a general study of the flute beginning with the work of the late Philip Bate (The Flute: A Study of Its History and Development [London: Benn; New York: W. W. Norton, 1969]) to the present. This seems unlikely, since Bate's work assumes an organological approach, which is not pursued by Powell. Instead, the lion's share of discussion in Powell's book is taken up with the most known and extensively covered subject matter, such as that...