- Made in France, circa 1880
- Silver-plated seamed maillechort
- 0.015″ tubing
- Soldered tone holes
- Pointed keys
- Open hole
- Inline G
- C-foot with teardrop D# key
- Embouchure: 10.8 mm x 12.2 mm
- 423 g
- Sounding length: 605 mm
- Traditional scale
- A=438-440 Hz
Like other French flute makers, Floretin Barbier made commemorative flutes to celebrate important events. As such, these flutes lacked serial numbers, such as this flute for sale. While it has the year 1878 engraved on the barrel, it wasn’t necessarily made in that year. We speculate that the flute was made within two years after the event.
Barbier received many awards for his flutes throughout his career, and his flutes are regarded in the same league as Louis Lot, Bonneville, and Rive. Barbier went on to work with Cousenon, who is most notably known for a unique flute design that was championed by Marcel Moyse.
Like nearly all of Barbier’s flute, this particular one is silver-plated maillechort (nickel brass). However, you will never know it, given its rich, lyrical tone. The sound has lots of depth and maturity, much like a well-seasoned silver flute. The low register can be as colorful or as dark as you want. The third register is silvery and easy to control.
Barbier liked to experiment with his flutes; you can find three such experiments on this one. The more obvious one is the lack of ferrule on the foot tenon. Another is in the foot joint. It was constructed as if it were to receive an extended foot tenon, but the interior is made for the foot tenon as is. The third design is not obvious. It’s the lack of a conventional crown assembly. The headjoint has a cap that pulls out; the cork is simply fitted into place.
With the headjoint placed at 1/4″, the flute plays well in tune at A=438 Hz. The intonation is also quite stable at A=440 Hz, with the head pushed all the way in.
There is a small fault on the tenon headjoint, but it seems to not at all affect the playability and sound quality of the flute.
The flute had received a COA from Gary Lewis, and it plays well in its current condition. The plating is even throughout the flute with no signs of wear or pitting. The pads are old but in very good shape and seal the tone holes well. The flute is housed in its original case, though the latch is non-functional.
It’s rare to find a Barbier flute, and it’s even rarer to find one that isn’t in need of a full restoration! This flute is a fine example of early French flute-making and is ready to play.
Price: $3,500
Sold as is. Sales tax applies to purchases within California. For inquiries on purchasing, please contact Gary Lewis.
