Fiona M Simpson	9750782s@student.gla.ac.uk

With the turn against Romanticism in the early 20th century, there was a new surge of interest in solo and chamber music for the flute. Many 20th century composers have written sonatas for flute and piano, or chamber works for flute and other instrumentsm, such as Debussy's Syrinx and Prelude d'Apres Midi d'un Faune and Ravel's Sonata for Flute and Harp.
One of the leading flautists of the 20th century, Samuel Baron, put together an album of 20th century American compositions for solo flute, in different styles, eg. 12-tone serial technique and micro tonal slides, exploring an innovative and distinctive repertoire for the instrument.

Monody no. 1 - George Perle, 1960, taken from the Samuel Baron collection, above

Irish flautist James Galway, playing modern popular music, maintains interest in the instrument today.

The Pink Panther - Henry Mancini, played by James Galway

Since Boehm's invention, only a few modifications have been adopted (eg. an improved B flat action and a closed G# key). Although some players and makers attempted to challenge Boehm's invention none have succeeded, and it is essentially the concert flute of today.

Contents | The Flute | Earliest Times | 17th Century | 18th Century | 19th Century | Boehm's Flute | 20th Century | Conclusion | Bibliography

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© Fiona M Simpson, April 2001