The contrabass flute is a less common instrument in the flute family. It is often found in flute ensembles and may also be used in solo or small group performances. Its range is similar to the regular concert flute, but it is two octaves lower. The lowest note it can play is two octaves below middle C (the same as the lowest note on a cello). Many contrabass flutes in C also have a low B, like some standard-sized flutes. These instruments are made only by a few flute manufacturers.
The contrabass flute can perform trills, just like other flutes. It is somewhat easy to play arpeggios, similar to the rest of the flute family. However, it requires a large amount of air to produce sound, and a slow, wide air stream is needed for a clear tone. Notes above middle C are not as strong as those on other flutes. The strongest notes are usually between G2 and G3. Notes below G2 sound similar to those on a bassoon.
Modern musicians who use the contrabass flute include Paige Dashner Long, Andy Findon, Laura Hyder, Madeleine Bischof, Pierre-Yves Artaud, Matthias Ziegler, Stefan Keller, Ned McGowan, Peter Sheridan, Patricia García, Sérgio Morais, David Lamont, Patrick Shaw Iversen, Vinny Golia, and André 3000. Golia plays all flute sizes and recorded a CD called Music for Like Instruments: The Flutes with a group of three other flutists.
The contrabass flute in C is made by Jean-Yves Roosen (France), Kotato & Fukushima (Japan), Eva Kingma, Pearl, Di Zhao, and Christian Jäger (Germany). Jupiter Flutes created a student model for flute ensembles. Kotato & Fukushima is one of the few companies that sells double contrabass flutes.
Some contrabass flutes have been made from PVC pipe by the Dutch flute maker Jelle Hogenhuis. If the walls of the PVC are thin, the flute produces a louder sound. PVC flutes can also handle rough handling better than other materials.
Repertoire
New solo and chamber music is being written for the contrabass flute. Performer Peter Sheridan has asked many composers worldwide to create works for the instrument, including Alex Shapiro, Patrick Neher, Vinny Golia, Bruce Lawrence, Adrienne Albert, and Sheridon Stokes. As a highly skilled solo instrument, some concertos have been written for the contrabass flute. Catherine McMichael composed a concerto for low flutes and orchestra in 2006 called "Three Philosophies," which includes a movement featuring the contrabass flute. In April 2008, the well-structured concerto "Bantammer's Swing" for contrabass flute and chamber orchestra by Ned McGowan premiered at Carnegie Hall. In 2010, the "Lyric Concerto" for contrabass flute and strings was commissioned by Sheridan from the late Australian composer Bruce Lawrence. "Nola" by Benjamin Yusapov was commissioned by international soloist Matthias Ziegler for multiple low flutes and orchestra. Many composers have written for the contrabass flute, including Wil Offermans, Robert Dick, Thomas Seelig, Andrew Downes, Catherine McMichael, Phill Niblock, Günter Steinke, Juan Cerono, Nicolás Medero Larrosa, Fernando Curiel, Mariano Rocca, Angeles Rojas, Jorge Chikiar, Esteban Sebastiani, Valentin Pelisch, and Ezequiel Menalled.
The contrabass flute is also used more often in flute choirs, with many newer pieces including a part for the instrument. While the part is often the same as or simpler than the bass flute part in some compositions, newer works sometimes include an independent part for the contrabass flute. Composers of these pieces include Peter Senchuk, Toby Caplan-Stonefield, Lawrence Ink, Phyllis Avidan Louke, and Judy Nishimura, among others.
Variations
One type of flute is called a "contrabass flute in G," or technically a contra-alto flute. It is pitched a fourth lower than the bass flute and an octave lower than the alto flute. Another instrument is the sub-contrabass flute in G, which is one octave lower than the contra-alto flute or two octaves lower than the alto flute in G. Kotato & Fukushima also make a "sub-contrabass flute in C," or double contrabass flute, which is one full octave lower than the contrabass flute.
In popular culture
The contrabass flute is one of the unusual instruments that were chosen to create the signature sound of the Horizon game series.