(Torino, c.1690-1783) Ebony originals in Stockholm
and Frankfurt, and a boxwood original in Washington. a=415,
430, 440.
The Instrument
Palanca was a bassoonist in the Turin court
ensemble as well as a maker of oboes, recorders, bassoons,
and flutes. Several examples of his flutes survive: all seem
to be late 18th-century examples. The Palanca flute shares
many of the design characteristics of the August
and Heinrich Grenser flutes; like
them it prefers key signatures with sharps to those with flats,
but has a more robust tone.
The Music
People use the Palanca flute for all sorts of
music: it shares many of the sound characteristics of early
18th-century flutes while still providing the facility of
the classical flute. Notable examples of its cosmopolitan
nature are provided by Jed Wentz's recordings of Bach, Locatelli,
and Handel with his ensemble Musica ad Rhenum.
Fingering
Chart