Transverse Flute in d’ after Quantz
A = 398/415 Hz.
Four-joint in grenadilla or ebony (or other woods)
Ivory mounts and tuning slide if requested
Two keys for D sharp and E flat



Johann Joachim Quantz, Berlin, (1697 – 1773)
mark: none

1716 the flutist, composer, teacher, author and flute-maker was first active at the court at Dresden as oboist. 1718 he took flute lessons there with Buffardin. After having been to Italy (1724) and Paris (1726) he returned 1728 as 2nd flutist next to Buffardin to Dresden. In Paris apparently he had added the d# key in order to make the difference hearable between e-flat and d#. (d# is sligthly lower than eb).
1728 the 16 years old crown prince Friedrich von Preußen, later King of Prussia, met Quantz and was enthusiastic about his flute-playing. Since then he addressed himself to the this instrument and accepted Quantz as a teacher.
According to his autobiography, because af the lack of good flutes, he began 1739 „selbst welche zu bohren und abzustimmen“.(to drill and tune them himself)
Since 1741 he was appointed and best-payed composer, flutist and teacher at the court of Friedrich in Berlin. Furthermore he supplied Friederich 1745 two flutes for the price of 100 ducats each, 1751 four for 1100 Reichsthaler each and 1754 three more flutes. Among theses deliveries there was probably the ebony flute with 5 middle-joints, d#-key, “Stimmzug” and screw-cork, which is now in the “Musikinstrumenten-Museum, Berlin”.
Tromlitz claimes in 1800, Quantz made no flutes with his own hand but only gave his ideas to the instrumentmaker working for him. This statement should not be ignored lighly.
The fact, that flutes attributed to Quantz are not marked, it absolutely en argument. The consideration of many a researcher of the guild’s order, according to it Quantz might not have had the of marking his instruments, is not really valid: Surely there were cities like Nürnberg f.i. which had a strict order like this. Berlin or Potsdam were not considered to be as strict and as „favourite“ of the king he could have defied of this fact.. The meaning of Kernbauer ad Krickeberg 1) is more likely: According to them to the court delivered goods were usually not marked with the makers name. As a prove they quote the unmarked recorders atributed to Johann Heytz and unmarked flutes, attributed to Quantz.
C.F. Freyer worked before 1763 until 1772, the year of his death, at Potsdam as a woodwindmaker and made apparently flutes in cooperation with Quantz for the king:
1763 there appeared announcement for a „Freyerischen Flöte mit doppelten silbernen Klappen & 6 Mittel-Stücken nach dem Quantz’schen Bohr“. (flute by Freyer with silver double key & 6 center-jointes after Quantz’s bore). Since Freyer was active before 1763 as a maker in all likelihood, he and his successor Kirst, can considered as originator of the unsigned flutes by Quantz.
Kirst was an assistant at Freyer’s shop and took over the workshop in 1772 by marrying Freyer’s widow Eva Maria Freyer. This marry-in refers indeed to an existing guild’s order.
Other flut-makers in Berlin, who could have worked for Quantz, are:
Johann Reinicke (1756), „ Kgl. Instrumentenmacher“, Rolander (1747as wel as F. Steining, (2nd half 18th c.) The three last ones have passed down flutes of them.
Yet Tromlitz expressed himself with greatest admiration about Quantz’s flute-playing. His flutes show still today their extraordinary sound-qualities.

Sophie Charlotte und die Musik in Lietzenburg, Berlin 1987, SIM, ISBN 3-922378-07-2, S. 52
Die Magie der Flöte, Berlin 1986, SIM, ISBN 3-922378-05-6
J.J. Quantz, Versuch einer Anweisung die Flöte traversière zu spielen, Berlin 1752
William Waterhouse, „The New Langwill Index“ London, 1993, ISBN 0-946113-04-1
Pillip T. Young , 4900 Historical Woodwind Instruments, London 1993