The Flageolet in England, 1660-1914

The flageolet is a small recorder-like instrument dating back to the seventeenth century. Predominantly an instrument of the amateur, the flageolet seldom featured in the orchestra but nevertheless occupied a unique niche in musical history. In nineteenth-century England, the flageolet developed into instruments of organological fascination which transcended social class and gender, giving an insight into societal aspects of musical performance. This unique book focuses on organology, for without instruments there would be neither pedagogy nor repertoire. Beginning with the early history of the flageolet, MacMillan examines the instrument in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century England. The hey-day of the English flageolet was undoubtedly the nineteenth century and chapters are devoted to the evolution of the single, double, triple and flute-flageolets. This book also considers the role of the French flageolet in English usage. The organology of each type of flageolet is examined in detail, discussing matters of structure, acoustics, and keywork, looking at both the introduction and subsequent demise of the various instruments: sections in each chapter discuss pedagogy and repertoire, with a special focus on the amateur usage of the instrument. This book also studies social aspects of Victorian music-making, discussing the role of the flageolet by both amateur and professional musicians in the domestic environment, in the theatres and music halls, in the ball-room and employment of the instrument by itinerant and street musicians. Of interest to woodwind organologists and to players of the flute and recorder, MacMillan's study is also useful to those who study the integration of musical instruments and their repertoire into the society within which they were made and played. Douglas MacMillan is an independent scholar (ex-RCM) based in Guildford, U.K.