This week I am going to head in a different direction and take a look at some famous flute players. The flute is an absolutely beautiful instrument that can create a feeling of relaxation for the listener and performer, regardless of the genre of music being played. The flute is highly recognized as a orchestral and ensemble instrument, but is often forgotten as a solo instrument.
In my experience most young girls want to play the flute. I was one of those girls, although I was convinced to play the trumpet instead. I still love the flute and will play it whenever I can.
In many situations the flute is played by a female, however many men have and continue to become extraordinary flute players. The men highlighted in todays post are fantastic inspirations for any boy who has found himself playing the flute.
Todays instrumentalists have confirmed my love for the flute. Every single one of them displays the beauty of the instrument and demonstrates the emotions that can evoked when it is played as a solo instrument. They make it clear that the flute is much more then an ensemble instrument. The instrumentalists that will be featured in todays post are:
- Marcel Moyse
- James Galway
- Herbie Mann
- Julius Baker
- Jasmine Choi
Introducing 5 Famous Flute Players
Marcel Moyse, born on May 17th, 1889 in St. Armour, France, was a french flautist. He studied the flute at the Paris Conservatory where he later became a teacher. During his studies he studied under flute virtuosos Philippe Gaubert, Adolphe Hennebains, and Paul Taffadnel. Moyse has been a major influence for many professional and amateur flute players all over the world.
Moyse had a very busy and successful career as a teacher and instrumentalist. As a teacher he taught at Conservatoire de musique de Québec à Montréal and was the founder of the Marlboro Music School and festival. Many of Moyse’s students continued on to have successful careers including James Galaway (The next flautist to be discussed). He also wrote many flute studies (meant to help flautists improve various techniques and skills) including Tone Development Through Interpretation and 20 Exercises et études sur les Grandes Liaisons. Many of his studies and exercises can still be heard in practice rooms today.
As an instrumentalist Moyse was extremely successful at representing the french style of playing the flute which was characterized by a bright, fast vibrato. During his career as a instrumentalist he toured all over Europe and the United States. He performed as a soloist in many concerts and can be heard on many early recordings of standard flute repertoire. He also played in orchestras under the direction of many notable conductors including Prokofiev, Stravinsky, and Strauss.
Marcel Moyse passed away on November 1st, 1984 as the age of of 94. His death marked the end of an era in flute playing. There were many memorials and tributes to honour Moyse including the creation of the Marcel Moyse Society in the United States.
Please take the time to listen to Marcel Moyse playing The Swan from The Carnival of The Animals by Saint-Saens.
James Galway performing with his wife Jeanne
James Galway, born on December 8th, 1939, is an Irish flute player from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Known as “The Man With The Golden Flute,” he is one of the first flute players to obtain an international career as a soloist.
Galway was born into a very musical family. After experimenting with several instrument he settled with the flute at the age of nine. Initially he was taught the flute by his uncle but continued his musical training at the Royal College of music, Guildhall School of Music and the Paris Conservatiore.
Prior to embarking on a solo career Galway performed in orchestras for 15 years. During that time he performed with the Sadler’s Wells Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and finally the Berlin Philharmonic as the principal solo flautist.
After leaving the Berlin Philharmonic, Galway became a solo flautist. He has performed both classical and contemporary repertoire. He has also been open to performing a variety of music genres including pop, country and show tunes.
During his career he has also performed with many notable musicians including Ray Charles, Elton John and Andrea Bocelli. He has even contributed to the soundtrack for the The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King.
Of course we would’t finish discussing such a fine musician without providing a video. Here is James Galway performing Danny Boy. Absolutely beautiful!
Click here to learn more about James Galway.
“Herbie Mann” by Tom Marcello Webster, New York, USA – Herbie Mann (w/ Will Lee). Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Herbie_Mann.jpg#/media/File:Herbie_Mann.jpg
Herbie Mann, born on April 16th, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York, was an American jazz flautist and early practitioner of world music. Early in his career Mann also played the clarinet and tenor saxophone. Mann was very skilled at fusing jazz with world music. He was an extraordinary improviser.
During his career Herbie Mann was known for playing jazz and dance favourites. He also composed many original works. . He performed as a guest player with many other artists through out his career. Many recording that Mann was involved in, either as a solo artist or guest player, found their way to various billboard charts. His recording of Hijack written by Spanish musician Fernando Arbex actually hit #1 on the Billboard’s dance charts in 1975.
Mann passed away on July 1,2003 at the age of 73 after a long battle with prostate cancer. His last performance was on May 3rd, 2003 at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival.
Check out the video below to hear Herbie Mann play Sunny.
Want to hear more music by Herbie Mann? click here.
Julius Baker, born on September 23rd, 1915 in Cleveland, Ohio, was an American orchestral flute player, teacher and soloist.
As a teacher Baker served as a faculty member at the Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, and Carnegie Mellon University. As a performer he played with the Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and New York Philharmonic. He played second flute in the Cleveland Orchestra but held the principal Flute position in the Chicago Symphony orchestra and New York Philharmonic.
Baker also made many recordings. Including recordings with conductors such as Bruno Walters and Leonard Bernstein while playing with the orchestras they conducted. He also recorded many solo recording during his career. In addition to recordings, Baker also performed on film scores including The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.
Julius Baker was very active as a teacher through out his entire career right until his death on August 6th, 2003 at the age of 87.
please enjoy Julius Baker performing Chopin’s F Sharp Major Nocturne
Jasmine Choi, born in 1983, is a Korean Flautist. Choi studied at the Curtis Institute of music where she was taught by teachers such as Julius Baker and Jeffrey Khaner. She later studied at the Juilliard School in 2006.
Choi is still a young and emerging artist who still has a lot to offer and a long career ahead of her. Thus far she has served as the associate principal flute for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Principal flute of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. She was actually the first Korean-born member of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.
She has also made several recordings including her performances of Mozart’s Concerto For Flute and Harp K. 299 and Concerto for Flute K. 314. She has commercially recorded works by Claud Boiling and the 12 Fantasies for Solo Flute by Georg Philipp Telemann.
Please check out the video below of Jasmine Choi playing Monti Czardas arranged for flute and piano.
Click here to Jasmine Choi’s official webpage.
Who’s ready to break out the flute!
So many fantastic inspirations to inspire even the most stubborn flute player. There is no wonder that the flute is associated with such eloquence. These are only 5 famous flute players that have contributed to the development of the flute as a solo instrument. There are so many more that can be highlighted in future posts. I hope you have enjoyed my selection of instrumentalists for this weeks instrumental Inspirations. It was a tough choice.
Do you have a favourite that has inspired you? It doesn’t have to be a flute player. Perhaps you know someone you would like see highlighted as an instrumental inspiration. Please leave a comment sharing your questions and experiences below. I would like to leave you today with a video of a flute ensemble playing selections from The Sounds of Music.
Previous Instrumental Inspirations