TELEMANN - Fantasia 6 d minor TWV 40.7 - Alexis Kossenko (LCDP #22)

Описание: Georg Philipp TELEMANN (1681-1767)
Fantasia n° 6 in d minor TWV 40.7
(12 Fantasie per il Flauto Traverso senza basso, Hamburg ca.1733)
Alexis Kossenko, flute
Flute by Stefan Beck, after Johann Heinrich Eichentopf, Leipzig (ca.1730)
ivory, 1 silver key
A = 415
© Les Concerts de Pan


réalisation : Colin Laurent // www.colinlaurent.com


ABOUT THE INSTRUMENT
This flute is a reconstruction inspired by a flute by the Leipzig maker Johann Heinrich Eichentopf (1678-1769), better known for his oboes, oboes d'amore, oboes da caccia, bassoons and recorders. This instrument is in fact the only extant transverse flute from a Leipzig maker in the time of Bach, and for this reason has a special symbolic importance for us nowadays. Unfortunately this instrument has endured several severe alterations. It was cut shorter, the embouchure hole was sealed and a new one was drilled on the other side of the head joint. For these reasons it is hard to have a clear idea of its playing characteristics and much of it results from speculation. As it is now the pitch seems to be close to the modern "baroque standard" 415, but it was originally lower. We do not know when this "repitching" occured, but it is not excluded that it happened to adjust the flute to the change from Tief Cammerton (around 392, 1,5 tone below the organ pitch) to Hoch Cammerton (around 415, 1 tone below the organ pitch) ; this change of pitch occured around 1723-1724, about when Bach took his function as Cantor. Until then, a transposition of 1,5 was used between organ and orchestra for cantatas in flat keys, and a transposition of 1 tone for the compositions in sharp keys ; this system is advocated by Telemann to adjust in the best way the temperament of the organ. Shortly after his arrival, Bach decided to simplify the situation and fix one pitch level only (Hoch Cammerton) for the instruments others than the organ ; this instrument could be the witness of this transition.