Whats a German Flute?
Early flute music was written for recorders (this end blown instrument was called flûte à bec in France and blockflöte in Germany). Later, the German countries popularized various forms of qwerpfeife(i.e., the cross blown or transverse flute). In some old usages, ‘German Flute ‘ is simply a term to mean a flute that you blow across, not endwise. Being no stranger to the industrial revolution of the 1800s, Germany produced thousands of flutes in the style of the day. Some of these flutes were treasured in Ireland and elsewhere. In some writings, “German Flute” refers to the design specifications, not necessarily to the country of origin. Today, we use the term, “Irish Flute” with the same freedom to mean the same instrument.
