The Singing Flute

What is a “good” tone in flute playing? Surely it must be more than just “clean” (ie not producing many unwanted sounds), “colourful” (with adequate timbre), “flexible” (able to produce dynamic adjustments) or just a really big tone. The well-known Swiss flautist P.-L. Graf is concerned that the production of tone should not be seen as an aesthetic end in itself, but chiefly as a living means of expression and as a “musical” event. In this practice volume he has picked 3x7 examples from the flute and operatic repertoire in order to work through three sets of themes: 1.) cantabile playing at a piano dynamic, 2.) dynamic flexibility and variation of tone colour, 3.) fullness and intensity of sound. This offers concentrated training for all flautists, from student through to professional player.

Text in German, French and English