After originals by members of the Bassano family (Venice
and/or London, fl. c.1531-1658) in Brussels and
in the Biblioteca Capitolare, Verona.
The Instruments
The Bassano flutes are identified by a maker's mark consisting
of pairs of silkworm moths or rabbit's feet. They have a relatively
narrow bore and thin walls, making them easy to play with
rapid articulation and in the high register.
The original tenor flutes on which our consort is based play
without transposing at a=408. Another way to look at this
is that the instruments sound one tone below the cornetts,
playing as it were in C at a=460. Bassano flutes at other
pitches, including the rare (for flutes) cornett pitch (a=460)
are also extant. The bass is based on an instrument at a=425,
a semitone below the cornetts.
We can supply Bassano consorts to play at any or all of the
pitches described below. Our consort consists of five flutes:
a bass (lowest note G), and four tenor/altos (lowest note
D). A discant (lowest note G) which we have invented in the
absence of any suitable original, is available separately.
Le Concert Virtuel (Ardal Powell, tenor flute;
Ardal Powell, tenor flute; Ardal Powell, tenor flute; Ardal
Powell, bass flute; Bassano consort in boxwood at a=420).
Ludwig Senfl, So ich Herzlieb from Frische teutsche
Liedlein (Nuremburg: Georg Forster, 1539). Recording made
for this web site on 11-24-01, enhanced with acoustic signature
of Hudson Opera House,
Hudson NY.
Time: 1 minute 43 seconds Size: 4 Mbytes 16 bit stereo 44.1
KHz sampling
For slow connections there's also a
Real Media version, 419 Kbytes, with lower sound quality.
For perfect matching of pitch, intonation, and appearance,
we recommend you order our consort flutes as a set. You can
order them one at a time if you prefer, but they are not meant
for playing by themselves of with other (non-flute) instruments.
A flute after Rafi we recommend for
solo or mixed-consort use is on its own page.
Audio sample
Tenor flute