The alto flute is a musical instrument in the Western concert flute family. It is played lower in pitch than the standard C flute and the less common flûte d'amour. It is the third most commonly used instrument in its family, following the standard C flute and the piccolo. The alto flute has a deep, smooth sound in its lower range. Its tube is much wider and longer than the C flute, requiring the player to use more air, but the air moves more slowly. This helps the instrument produce louder sounds in its lowest range. The alto flute can play notes from G3 (the G below middle C) up to G6 (four lines above the treble clef staff), with an additional very high range reaching D♭7. It uses the same finger positions as the C flute and piccolo but is a transposing instrument in G, meaning it sounds a perfect fourth lower than the notes written on the sheet music.
In British music, the alto flute is sometimes called a bass flute, which can be confusing because there is another instrument with the same name. This confusion began because the modern C flute has a similar range to the Renaissance tenor flute, leading to the idea that a lower-pitched flute should be named "bass." However, the way the flute family is named based on pitch does not match how human voices are categorized (as explained in the C flute article).
History
The alto flute does not have a known exact creation date. However, large flutes have been around for hundreds of years. Early alto flutes had several issues. These included a long tube, difficult cross fingerings, uneven sound, large finger holes, and the need to stretch arms far to reach the holes, especially on the left hand. Theobald Boehm made major improvements to the alto flute in the 1850s. He created the alto flute in G, which he considered his favorite. Research suggests this occurred in the mid-1850s, around 1854 to 1855, when Boehm was 60 years old. The new flute was designed to solve problems with lower-pitched flutes. Boehm's design included logical key systems and levers that reduced the need for long finger stretches. He also changed the flute's bore size to better support the low G notes. The size and position of the keys were adjusted to match the larger bore. In 1891, Rudall Carte & Co. in London made the first widely produced alto flute. They used many of Boehm's improvements. This flute was the lowest in the flute family, just above the "Bass Flute G."
Design and construction
The alto flute, like other Western flutes, is made of three main parts: the head-joint, the body joint, and the foot joint. These parts include an embouchure hole, tone holes, keys, and the mechanism that controls the keys. The head-joint can be straight or curved. Curved head-joints are often made in two pieces. A straight head-joint is easier to play in tune in the high register because it has a true conical bore shape, which is not possible with a curved head-joint. However, curved head-joints may be better for flutists with smaller arms or hands. This is because curved head-joints require less stretching and make the instrument feel lighter by moving the center of gravity closer to the player. The head-joint is slightly tapered (conical bore) to create precise sound quality and includes an embouchure hole. The body and foot joint of the alto flute have either closed hole or open hole keys. Most alto flutes use closed hole keys, but Kingma system alto flutes are available with open holes. Open hole flutes allow for more extended techniques.
The alto flute, along with other low flutes, is longer than the concert flute. Larger flutes produce lower pitches. The alto flute is about 1 inch in diameter and 34 inches long. Compared to the concert flute, it is ¼ inch wider in diameter and almost 8 inches longer. The tone holes on the alto flute are slightly smaller than those on the modern concert flute, relative to its size. According to Davis (1997), p. 26, the arrangement of the holes can vary depending on the maker of the flute.
The embouchure hole on the alto flute is similar to that on the C flute but is positioned lower on the lower lip and has a wider lip aperture, in proportion to the size of the instrument.
Repertoire
Music written for the alto flute includes music for the alto flute alone, for the alto flute and piano, for the alto flute and groups with various instruments, and for flute choir music. It also appears in orchestral music and film soundtracks.
The lists provided are not complete but show examples of the most often played and well-known pieces in this type of music. The lists usually do not include pieces that were originally written for other instruments and later changed or rearranged for the alto flute, unless the piece is very common, in which case it is listed with its original instruments noted.
Alto flute and others
In classical music, the alto flute is often used by composers such as Igor Stravinsky, Maurice Ravel, and Gustav Holst in their works The Rite of Spring, Daphnis et Chloé, and The Planets, respectively.
The alto flute is also included in the music of:
• Franco Alfano’s opera Cyrano de Bergerac
• George Fredric Handel’s opera Riccardo Primo
• Sergei Prokofiev’s Scythian Suite
• the original version of Anton Webern’s Six Pieces for Orchestra
• Dmitri Shostakovich’s operas The Gamblers (unfinished), Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (also known as Katerina Ismailova), and Symphony No. 7 (Leningrad)
• Olivier Messiaen’s only opera, Saint François d'Assise, and some of his later concert works, such as Éclairs sur l'Au-Delà… Des Canyons aux étoiles…
• Howard Shore’s music for The Lord of the Rings
and many other modern film scores.
One of the most famous uses of the alto flute in 20th-century music was in Pierre Boulez’s piece Le marteau sans maître for contralto and six instrumentalists.
Before 1940, the alto flute was sometimes used in Hollywood films. Early Broadway musicals that included the instrument were Music in the Air (1932) and Very Warm for May (1939), both composed by Robert Russell Bennett. The original scores for these works are stored in the Jerome Kern Collection, Music Division, The Library of Congress.
Performers and pioneers
In the 20th and 21st centuries, several experts who play the alto flute became well-known. These include Christine Potter and Paige Long.
Christine Potter began learning the alto flute while studying at the University of New Mexico. As she gained more experience with the flute and developed a strong interest in the instrument, she collected music and published works that included parts for the alto flute. She wanted to share her findings online so others who played the flute could access them. This helped her connect with other flute players, such as Carla Rees. Together, they created a list of music for the alto flute. Potter performed at a convention in Chicago, demonstrating how the alto flute could be used as a solo instrument in low registers. Her performance was well-received, and she was invited to perform with orchestras across the country. At a 2012 convention in Las Vegas, she performed the world premiere of a low flute ensemble she had developed with other specialists. The audience responded positively, encouraging her to collaborate with musicians and composers worldwide. Since then, Potter has commissioned thirteen musical pieces featuring the low flute and created her own arrangements. She was the first person to lead the National Flute Association Low Flutes Committee and helped start the International Low Flutes Festival in Washington D.C. This event brought flutists of all ages and skill levels together to highlight the low flute in performances. In addition to organizing competitions, Potter has played a key role in promoting the use and study of the alto flute and other low flutes.
Paige Long initially played the violin in an orchestra at her workplace. She later accepted a position playing the piccolo to explore new opportunities. A year later, she was offered a teaching position for flute. While in this role, she started a flute choir to attract more people and was given the chance to purchase an alto flute and a bass flute. The choir became popular, but Long wanted to improve the quality of the lower sounds. She attended a convention where she heard a low flute ensemble and became more interested in the instrument. Three years later, she had the opportunity to buy the first contrabass flute in North and South America. Over many years, Long spent time and money to include low flutes in various ensembles. She is now one of the leading supporters of the low flute in music.