Trave(r)ssant
a time travel through historical flutes
A didactic project for young flute players, together with Uma Torres Tarrés
It was only after fifteen years of playing the flute and attending conservatories and masterclasses that the world of historical flutes entered our lives. How is it possible that we never had an opportunity to discover such instruments before?
The didactic project Trave(r)ssant – a word-pun in Catalan that merges the words “passing through“ and “traverso” – was created after we realised how late we had our first encounter with the predecessors of the modern flute and how important it has been for shaping our musical identity. Therefore, we asked ourselves: why not introduce these instruments at an earlier stage of musical education?
Trave(r)ssant showcases the evolution of the flute interactively and practically and brings young players closer to the historical flutes in use today in the Early Music scene. It premiered in 2022 at the Conservatori i Escola Municipal de Música in Lleida (Spain).
Goals
– Presenting historical flutes to music school pupils and conservatory students and giving them the opportunity to see and hear such instruments in person
– Providing a better understanding of the construction changes that happened during the flute’s evolution until the establishment of the modern Boehm flute
– Helping students to relate the historical and musical context to the corresponding instruments
– Raising their awareness of the different performance practice elements of each period and their application to modern flute playing
– Showing them a possible work field in the modern musical world
Content
The project consists of three parts: a lecture, a masterclass, and a concert. It is also possible to book only one or two of the parts.
Lecture
During the lecture, the audience will discover the world of historical flutes through an interactive and entertaining presentation. While analysing different historical flutes in relation to the historical periods of their use, we will provide a sound and visual demonstration of the instruments and an overview of the reasons that led to their evolution. Moreover, we will talk about the modern practice of creating copies of historical flutes. At the end of the lecture, we will open the floor to a discussion concerning the reasons for playing (or not playing) historical flutes today. The duration of the lecture is one hour and a half, including a break.
Masterclass
The masterclass consists of coaching sessions for single students and ensembles. It is open to all singers and instrumentalists interested in the music from the Renaissance to the 19th century and its historically informed interpretation on modern instruments. There is no obligatory repertoire. If so wished, we can provide a list of suggested pieces. Furthermore, there is no age nor technical skills requirements to access the masterclass: while the more advanced students will work on interpretation details, the beginners will enjoy a first approach to the technically simple but musically rewarding Renaissance consort music. Both the duration of the masterclass and the length of the individual lessons can be adapted to the number of interested students.
Concert
The concert includes music from the Renaissance to the 20th century performed on the same instruments presented during the lecture. The duration is one hour without a break.