Our renaissance flutes are made in sets
of tenor and bass when playing together as a whole consort.
We also offer tenor flutes for playing alone
or in a mixed consort with other instruments such as cornetts,
strings, keyboards, and lutes. This kind of tenor flute has
a sound with a stronger fundamental component (as opposed
to the consort tenors whose spectra contain more upper harmonics)
and is more suited for playing in the lowest octave.
Tenor Flutes
Claude Rafi (Lyons, d.1553).
Boxwood one-piece original in the Musical Instruments Museum,
Brussels.
Consort Sets
Our other renaissance flute types are made in matched sets
for playing together in consort music.
Each set contains five flutes:
a bass (lowest note G),
four tenor/altos (lowest note D).
. . . in a fitted hard case with a nylon outer shell
and various carrying straps.
A discant (lowest note G an octave above the
bass) is also available.
We make these sets in three different styles, after originals
by:
members of the Bassano
family (Venice and/or London, fl. c.1531-1658)
members of the Rauch
family of Schrattenbach, Bavaria (fl. mid-15th
to mid-16th centuries).
In choosing between them, bear in mind that the Rafis are
large, warm-toned, and balanced toward the low register, the
Bassanos are smaller, easier in the high range, and easy to
articulate, and the Schrattenbachs are good all-round instruments
in between these extremes.
Repertoire
A collection of repertoire in modern editions for renaissance
flute consorts can be found at flutehistory.com.
Choosing a consort pitch
We make Renaissance flute consorts at any practical pitch
level, in the same way as the makers of the period did. On
each of the detail pages for Bassano,
Rafi, and Schrattenbach
consorts we have preset recommended options for pitch and
material in the order form.
If you are concerned with historical pitch-relationships
or have particular requirements you can choose
from A=460, 440, 425, 415, 408, 392, and 360. Otherwise
please proceed to one of the following pages:
