A consort of renaissance flutes after examples by a maker
or workshop who used the mark of a trefoil or cloverleaf.
The original bass and tenor/alto flutes on which this consort
is based are in the Accademia Filarmonica in Verona. The Rauch
family of Schrattenbach, Bavaria (fl. mid-15th to
mid-16th centuries) used similar trefoils in their marks,
but the exact identity, dates, and place of work of the maker
of our models are unknown.
The Instruments
The Schrattenbach flutes are intermediate in design between
the narrow, brilliant Bassano flutes and the thicker, darker
Rafis. Their embouchure holes are larger, and their tone,
especially that of the bass, is rich and round like a trombone.
All the originals on which our consort is based play (untransposed)
at a=425, or a semitone below the commonest cornett pitch.
All but one are preserved in the same collection, the Accademia
Filarmonica, Verona.
We can supply Schrattenbach consorts to play at any or all
of the pitches described below. Our consort consists of five
flutes: a bass (lowest note G), and four tenor/altos (lowest
note D). A discant (lowest note G), which we have invented
in the absence of any suitable original, is available separately.
For perfect matching of pitch, intonation, and appearance,
we recommend you order our consort flutes as a set. You can
order them one at a time if you prefer, but they are not meant
for playing by themselves of with other (non-flute) instruments.
Single flutes we recommend for solo or mixed-consort use after
Rafi and Lissieu
are on their own pages.
Tenor flute