Transverse Flute in d after Grenser
a = 415 Hz, Four joints, Boxwood, Ivory mounts
Other woods used are grenadilla or ebony on request

Carl Augustin Grenser, 1720-1807, Dresden
Mark: (Saxons swords, crossed), A. GRENSER/ Dresden

In 1753 he receives the ‘Praedicat’ (privilege) as Hof-Musicalischer Instrumentenmacher“
The original is owned by Nikolaus Harnoncourt and has 7 exchangeable centerpieces and is furnished with a ‘Stimmzug’ (register-foot). The pitches are between ca. 392 and 435 Hz. It is obvious that the flute is designed for pitches between 410 and 420 Hz.
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Originally in possession of Friedrich II. of Prussia (1712-1786), the flute was supposed to have been a gift to an Austrian general after having won the Silesian wars (1742-1749).
As Grenser didn’t mark his instruments with the swords until he became „ Hof-Musicalischer Instrumentenmacher“, this flute could have been ordered by Friedrich at the earliest in 1753.
Thus it appears that the flute would have arrived in Austria only some years after the war.

Nikoaus Harnoncourt discovered this flute in the second half of the twentieth century. The flute was not used until Leopold Stastny played it in numerous concerts and recordings with the Concentus Musicus.
Apparently the embouchure of the original had been slightly modified. Therefore I made a complete copy of the instrument for Stastny, as well as a new head-joint for the original flute. For the reconstruction of the embouchure I checked several reference instruments in the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag. Stastny played the original flute with the head-joint I had built until he retired.