A RARE FLUTE from the W.S. Haynes Workshop, "handmade" pattern, soldered tone-holes, all solid silver, made in Boston in 1955. serial #24951
"Hand-made” pattern, Plateau (closed holes) keywork, “offset” G key, range to low C.
*** PLEASE NOTE *** In the years that the Haynes family owned the workshop in Boston, TWO MODELS of closed-hole (plateau keyed) flutes were constructed.
The "Regular Model" was based on the work of 19th. century flutist Theobald Boehm, with tone-holes extruded from the tube, with flat pad-cups and "y-arm" construction. The bodies were usually of .018 silver.
The "Hand-Made" model was closer to the designs of the Godfroy and Lot workshops of 19th. century Paris. That means .014 (usually) silver tube thickness, tone-holes soldered to the silver tube of the body and with key-arms extended over pad cups.
*** Have a look at two pages from the Haynes catalog of 1947. It explains the differences.
*** Our "Hand-Made Plateau" is a most comfortable, user-friendly instrument that is truly a joy to play. It "feels" just right, with a sweet voice and a rich lower register with magnificent overtones. We do indeed like the "Regular Models", but the HM Plateaus are, in our estimation, superior in tone-color and feel.
***On our #24,961....
Body, head and foot are of .014 inch silver. Tone-holes are soldered, key arms extend over the pad-cups. Sounding length is 599 mm, which means the flute plays well at 440 (perhaps 441, not 442) pitch.
Embouchure is original, measures 10.2 X 12.0 mm. The flute weighs 435 grams.
The blue-lined case bears the Haynes stamp and appears to be the 1955 original.
Engraving is sharp on the head and body sections and there is no evidence of dents or dings to the body. Hinge-tubes are still tight, indicating that the instrument’s been played very little in the past 70 years.
This particular flute exhibits superb workmanship, arguably quite different to that of modern instruments from the Haynes firm.
Flute questions?
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****GR/Wichita
HG