Telemann: Twelve Fantasias for Solo Flute (audio recording: Channel Classics 40617)
- Submitting institution
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Royal College of Music
- Unit of assessment
- 33 - Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies
- Output identifier
- 37
- Type
- I - Performance
- Venue(s)
- Not applicable (audio recording)
- Open access status
- Out of scope for open access requirements
- Month of first performance
- -
- Year of first performance
- 2017
- URL
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https://www.channelclassics.com/catalogue/40617-Twelve-Fantasias-for-Solo-Flute/
- Supplementary information
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- Request cross-referral to
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- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
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- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
-
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- Research group(s)
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- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- In the eighteenth century it was widely accepted that wind instruments could not perform alone due to their inability to create and sustain harmony. Telemann invested considerable time and effort in learning to play the flute and as a direct result of this engagement and understanding of the instrument’s qualities, he demonstrated how to imply harmony by producing this unique collection of Twelve Fantasias for solo flute. This project involved using several original eighteenth-century flutes and a modern copy to investigate through the techniques, tone qualities and performance style appropriate for a reconstruction of Telemann’s short fantasias. The two original one-keyed flutes were both constructed around 1760, one of ivory by the English maker, Thomas Cahusac senior, and the other of porcelain and gold from the Dresden Meissen factory. Unlike eighteenth-century wooden flutes, instruments made of ivory and porcelain are not adversely affected by changes in humidity, so the tone quality has remained consistent since they were built. The porcelain flute was a gift to George III from Frederick the Great and was loaned for the project by the Royal Collection Trust. Several months working with the porcelain flute (last played in 1789) in controlled conditions helped to develop and reanimate its unique sound once again. Each Fantasia is composed in a different tonality and thus assumes a specific character. These characteristics were carefully considered as part of the experimental process of selecting which flute to use for each Fantasia. Experimenting with the lyrical legato lines, rhythmic figures, and arpeggio figures, as well as the unstable intonation inherent in certain different registers, informed the choice of appropriate instrument and playing techniques, tested in live performances. The CD is distributed worldwide by the Dutch label Channel Classics and since its release in 2017 has received significant media attention.
- Author contribution statement
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- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
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