Baroque Flutes

Carlo Palanca was an active bassoon player and instrument maker in Turin in the 1700s. Martin Wenner's Palanca flute is based on an original from a private collection in Frankfurt. In contrast to many other Baroque flutes, his instrument has an oval embouchure, giving it a more powerful sound. The original...

Pierre Gabriel Buffardin (ca. 1690-1768) was one of the most famous flutists of his time and a pioneer of the transverse flute in Germany. From 1715 to 1749, he was the first flutist of the Dresden Hofkapelle, one of the best and most famous orchestras of the time. Buffardin was...

This Martin Wenner classic flute is modelled on a flute by August Grenser, who was a famous flute-maker from Dresden. Constructed around 1790, the original can be found in a private collection in the north of Germany. It is made of ebony and has four interchangeable joints playing at the...

Although there are several original Godfridus Adrianus Rottenburgh (Brussels, mid 18th century) flutes still surviving today, the one that is most often copied is owned by Barthold Kuijken, who has used it for many concerts and recordings. The original flute is made of boxwood which has been stained and treated...

The cylindrically-bored Renaissance flute was employed both as an ensemble and a soloist instrument between the beginning of the 16th century and about 1680. The most common size was the tenor flute in D, with which experienced players could easily play a tonal range of three octaves. The original instruments...

The Viennese family Koch probably ranks among the most outstanding wind instrument makers of the first half of the 19th century. Many excellent examples of oboes, clarinets, and flutes have been preserved, probably the most famous of which are their flutes. They were recommended by numerous flautists such as Furstenau...

The cylindrically-bored Renaissance flute was employed both as an ensemble and a soloist instrument between the beginning of the 16th century and about 1680. The most common size was the tenor flute in D, with which experienced players could easily play a tonal range of three octaves. The original instruments...

Joannes Hyacynthus Rottenburgh worked at the beginning of the 18th century in Brussels where he made recorders, oboes and other woodwind instruments in addition to transverse flutes. Together with his son, Godfridus Adrianus, he achieved an excellent reputation in the first half of the 18th century. His instruments are kept...

Despite much painstaking effort, Martin Wenner was unable to find an original piccolo that would be suitable as a model for a well-functioning instrument tuned at today's common pitches (a=430Hz to a=415 Hz). For this reason, Wenner's piccolo is a unique three-piece model, although it corresponds to the preserved original piccolos as...

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773) was probably the best-known flute player of the 18th century. His fame is due not only to his compositions and his book On Playing the Flute (1752), but also to the fact that he was the flute teacher of Frederick the Great of Prussia. In 1739 Quantz...

Thomas Stanesby (1692-1754) was not just famous for his recorders. This flute, made around 1730, is kept in a private collection in Frankfurt. It still plays wonderfully at a pitch of just under a=415 Hz. This Martin Wenner rendition is normally made in granadilla or boxwood. By special request, it can...

Johann Wilhelm Oberlender lived and worked between 1681 and 1745 in Nuremburg. Just like J. Denner, he was one of the most famous German flute makers of this period, proof of which, is the number of flutes that still survive today. One particularly fine and unique example is to be...

The cylindrically-bored Renaissance flute was employed both as an ensemble and a soloist instrument between the beginning of the 16th century and about 1680. The most common size was the tenor flute in D, with which experienced players could easily play a tonal range of three octaves. The original instruments...

The design of this three-joint, single-keyed instrument is attributed to the Hotteterre family, who were famous for their development of instruments and their playing techniques in the mid 17th century. Its deep-toned and warm sound is ideal for early French Baroque repertoire. Martin Wenner's Hotteterre flute is based on an...