Flageolet Recordings and Videos

YouTube

There are now quite a large number of recordings of flageolets being played on YouTube. These are some of the better ones.

If there is a video I have missed or that is available only on another website, do contact me or leave a comment on this page and I will happily add them.

French Flageolets

Anne Casularo-Kirchmeier and Roberto Vallini, a flageolet-guitar duo, recorded some of Chaxelle’s late-18^th Century dances which are good examples of the rarely heard early dance music for the instrument.

I particularly enjoy the Brazilian recorder player, Rubens Küffer’s, playing on a Boehm-system French flageolet. His videos include this etude by Narcisse Bousquet (follow the link to find recordings of another 3 pieces from the same work) and number of other pieces.

Küffer’s duo, the Biedermeiers, with Max Riccio on the guitar, has also published a number of pieces of 19^th Century popular music, such as this Fantaisie for French flageolet and guitar by Ferdinando Carulli

An older recording from 1980 by Conrad Steinmann includes a duet on a Romance from the Barber of Seville for two French flageolets from the method by G. Gaveaux. A number of other piece from the same recording have also been uploaded although, despite the picture used to illustrate them they are mostly for the recorder.

A video of Philippe Perlot playing virtuosic extracts from the polkas “L’Oiseau et les Roses” and “L’Oiseau du Paradis” by E. Damaré are evidence of probably the first concert for French flageolet and orchestra since the late-19^th Century. One gets an excellent sense of the penetrating power of the flageolet’s sound over that of the orchestra. Perlot has uploaded a number of other videos which are available by following the link to this video on YouTube.

Bird Flageolet

A wonderful recording from 1995 of Conrad Steinmann playing the Nightingale from Greeting’s Pleasant Companion in full “bird impersonation mode” has been uploaded, although one wonders how many bird fanciers reached his level of virtuosity in the 1670s!

A more whimsical recording of Philippe Perlot playing the Woodlark from Hill’s “Bird Fancyer’s Delight” accompanied by the eponymous creature is also available.

English Flageolet

There are relatively few recordings of the English flageolet. The famous organologist and bassoonist, William Waterhouse, recorded the traditional Irish jig, “The Irish Washerwoman” on an unusually low A♭ English flageolet by William Bainbridge for the Edinburgh University Collection of Historical Musical Instruments in 2000.

Double Flageolet

Some of the oldest videos from YouTube include two samples of Double Flageolet playing by Mickie and Elizabeth Zekley of Celtic Wedding Music. The first is a short sample of Mickie’s solo Double Flageolet playing; the second is a sea-shanty Rolling Down To Old Maui. Both were originally recorded in 1991.

Triple Flageolet

Trevor Wye has uploaded a video of him demonstrating a Triple flageolet by William Bainbridge.

The Flageolet Site Recordings

The following recordings are accompanied by a health warning: they were recorded some time ago on a laptop microphone in far from ideal conditions. They therefore sound fairly dreadful and should not be taken as examples of what, for instance, Collinet once sounded like!

There are various ways of listening to the pieces. They can be streamed through the following XSPF Web Music Player (flash) or downloaded in MP3 or Ogg Vorbis formats:

Stream

Download

1. March, March, Etrick and Tevoit Dale, (as sung by) Braham. Played on a late 19th Century English Flageolet. MP3, Ogg.
2. Mayden Faire, by Thomas Greeting, from the Pleasant Companion. Played on an early 19th Century French Flageolet. MP3, Ogg.
3. Complainte de Clara Wendel, by Jules Gard. Played on an early 19th Century French Flageolet. MP3, Ogg.
4. Moderato, by Bernard Lee, from ‘A Choice Collection of 20 Airs’ by Bernard Lee. Played on a modern replica Double Flageolet. MP3, Ogg.