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The Art Nouveau Flute
SHOWCASE
As you go through these pictures, you will see the development of a motif over a 12 year period. Starting with the simple, even abstract, and changing one bit at a time, each flute has become a step towards an artistic goal that has yet to be fully realized.
The examples I use are from 3 particular flutes of the total 40+ art nouveau
flutes I have made. The first example was made in 1989, the second (with
gold tube with silver keys) was made in 1993, and the third (with gold tube and chased silver
keys) is an intrument made in 2000.
Compare the original concept sketch I made in 1981 with the 1993 gold/silver flute.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks that I faced before I even made one of these flutes was to design a strong and simple cup-arm that wouldn't require premolded castings. When the idea of using silver wire struck me, I knew the variations were limitless.
This 1989 black & white mainline section shows a simple use of the wire by simply
bending it back from the cup. It is an abstract version of an organic motif.
On the gold with silver flute, I made a "twig section with a leaf" on the G keys. It is still just silver wire, but the 2 sections lend a more random and natural look. The leaves are still slightly abstract rather than literal.
With more natural curves, this recent flute is highlighted with chasing on all the 'leaves' and levers.
The same development holds for the thumb keys. In this recent rendition of the thumb side, the curve of the key levers all flow together. The integrated branches at the right of the picture connect the thumb to the main line. (This flute has a reverse thumb key as well) All the open areas have been chased with leaf veins.
On the footjoint, similar developments have taken place on the roller cluster, bridge mechanism and cup arms. Unfortunately, it is difficult to show the subtle differences through most browsers. These 2 examples of convertible B/C footjoints are similar in many ways but if you look closely, many differences can also be seen. This illustrates that although 2 Vanguards may be constructed right after each other, they still have many differences. There is chasing on the open levers of the lower picture.
Even though the tubing and sectional fits are straight and exact, the appearance of asymmetry of the end fittings (both at the top and bottom of the flute) gives the flute an overall wild and animated appearance.
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I hope you have enjoyed learning about the Vanguard flute.
This is a unique flute in every sense of the word. It is undoubtably one of the very few truly 'handmade' flutes in the world. With its ability as a high performance instrument added to the asset of being a work of art, this flute is an investment of increasing value.
You can find out about our very competitive prices on the pricelist section of this webpage. Our waiting period is just under 2 years. Currently we have one demo/trial flute available for a 10 day period.
To learn about reserving it, visit our Order FAQ page. page.
On the next page, is a bit of a diversion into some original jewelry and silver sculpture designs. (A brief departure!)
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