Aquestes dates de Setmana Santa m’han portat a la memòria aquest video dels primers minuts de la Passió Segons Sant Mateu de J. S. Bach interpetada per Camerata XXI i la Coral de la URV. Recordo aquest concert de fa uns quants anys, en el que vaig participar com a flautista. Vam acabar exhausts i emocionats, en una Catedral de Tarragona plena a vessar, prop de la una de la matinada. Em fa feliç publicar aquest vídeo precisament avui, dia de l’aniversari de J. S. Bach.
Fig. 1. 19th century band flute found in Tarragona
This small 6-keyed band flute was given to my grandfather when he was a child and entered the city band in Reus. After many years and a restoration made by Mr. John Coppen, it can be played again. It has an inscription: “Juan Ayné. Tarragona“. Juan Ayné was not the maker, but an instrument and music shop from Barcelona. The shop’s site in Tarragona was located at the former Rambla de Sant Joan, 46, nowadays called Rambla Nova, on the second half of the 19th century (see fig. 4).
Mr. Jem Hammond, from Flute History Channel, explained that it is assuredly a french-made instrument by the style of it, probably intended for use in military bands. He also stated that these instruments weren’t normally expected to be played closed up, but using a slide (which mine has) to tune. He expected mine would play at A-435 diapason normal with the slide open – it is far more likely that a french instrument in this style was built for A-435; it might be able to be used closed up, but the scale won’t give its optimum intonation there.
A very similar Juan Ayné instrument can be found at the Museu de la Música de Barcelona (MDMB 255), dated 1870-1926 (Fig. 2). The lowest fingered note on both is a D, sounding E flat. They are called E flat band flutes but in transposition terms they are in fact in D flat.
I compared my Juan Ayné flute with a similar instrument: a parisian Jerôme Thibouville-Lamy flute from the same period kindly borrowed from Lluís Homdedeu collection (see fig. 5). The lowest fingered note on the Thibouville is D, sounding D (A-440 / 435). It would be called a D band flute, even it is an instrument in C terms of transposition.
As a curiosity, I must tell you that my grandfather never took playing the flute seriously and ended up being a percussionist. But the instrument stayed at home… and I found it being already a professional flutist… So I am happy I can play it again!
Fig. 2. Museu de la Música de Barcelona’s Eb (Db) flute, Ref. MDMB 255
Fig. 3. New Langwill Index of Wind Instrument Makers
Fig. 4. Juan Ayné’s shop ad at “El Correo de la Provincia”, 20/03/1892
Fig. 5. Jerôme Thibouville-Lamy, Paris, 82
Fig. 6. Ayné (up) and Thibouville-Lamy (down)
Avancem en el projecte d’ “Omumbo Rombomba: contes afroamericans”. Avui hem acabat el treball a l’estudi de gravació.
“Omumbo Rombomba: contes afroamericans” són contes musicats per “Flutercussió” (Isabel Serra, flauta i Paco Montañés, percussió) en col·laboració amb el contacontes veneçolà Alexander Hernández.
“Flutercussió” ha cercat cançons populars africanes, temes veneçolans i melodies dels indis warao de l’Orinoco per acompanyar la narració de quatre contes que, a més d’espectacle per a petits i grans, es materialitzaran en un CD que s’editarà tant en català com en castellà.
En aquesta ocasió, el traverso (flauta travessera barroca) i el djembé, enlloc dels instruments moderns que utilitzem habitualment als concerts, dónen un color especial a aquesta música i a aquests contes ètnics i ancestrals.
Aqui teniu unes fotos record d’aquests dies de gravació. Aprofitem per agrair el treball a l’estudi d’Òscar Ferré, qui ens ha ajudat en la part tècnica.
Noves fotos per a un curs nou. Aquest estiu he reprès la meva relació amb el traverso i tinc previst que aquesta doni com a fruit alguna incursió en la música antiga durant aquest 2014-2015. Us informaré properament.
Isabel Serra Bargalló - Flutist 