The consort flutes of the 16th century were played
chefly in the upper part of their range, and designed
to blend with the other flutes in the consort rather
than to stand out. But the new solo music called for
instruments with a more individual character, including
a stronger lower range and more of an ability to play
loud and soft, like a human voice.
At some time during the 17th century makers determined
that narrowing the bore toward the bottom of an instrument
made its low notes stronger and allowed the second octave
to be played with the same fingerings as the first.
Adding a key for E flat made that note more even in
tone with the rest, and building the flute in three
sections made manufacture easier.
The earliest extant flutes of this new kind were made
in the Netherlands (picture at left) and perhaps in
Italy. But we first hear of the new flutes in the hands
of musicians at the court of Louis XIV of France, where
they were often played in intimate private concerts
in the chambers of the king and his courtiers. Their
repertoire consisted of simple folk-songs, often elaborately
ornamented and performed with singers, lutes, and sometimes
other instruments. The flute was thought of as a sweet,
tender, and languishing instrument ideally suited to
express feelings of love.
Chapter 3, "Consort and solo: the seventeenth century'
of Ardal Powell's The Flute
(Yale University Press, 2002) contains more information
on this topic.