- Made in 1878
- Sterling silver with hallmarks and maker’s marks
- Soldered toneholes
- 0.014″ tubing
- Open hole
- Inline G
- C-foot
- A=438-440
- Traditional Villette period Lot scale
Henri Villette was Lot’s foreman from the company’s inception in 1855. After Lot retired in 1876, Villette began a series of improvements to the mechanism, making the flute generally more robust and reliable. The sound also became more assertive, with a tinge of earthy power that suited the needs of flutists in larger venues. The early Villette flutes, such as 2478, blend the infinite refinement of Louis Lot’s concept with the strong character of Villette. Much as with old Powell piccolos, these flutes rarely come up for sale because the owners simply cannot part with them. Adolphe Hennebains, George Barrere, and Jean Pierre Rampal built their careers on silver Villette flutes of this period.
As with most early Villette flutes, this one has been used heavily and undergone a variety of repairs. The last owner has had the flute completely restored and it is in excellent playing condition. The flute came to him without the original lip plate and he had the best possible replacement fashioned by David Williams, and I can attest that the flute now shows the true Villette sound at its best with the current embouchure. The sound is deep, rich, complex, and entirely even from top to bottom of the range. This is a powerful instrument that is on the one hand easy to relate to but will also keep you exploring what it can offer for many years to come. As with so many Lot flutes, the head was shortened, perhaps too much, and to make up for that a 5 millimeter shim has been placed at the bottom of the receiver and the head ring set to match this new tenon depth, playing at A=440 with the head pulled out about 4 millimeters.
This remarkable Villette flute resides in the most beautiful of flute cases, a hand-crafted wood case by David Chu. This case alone values over $1,200.
SOLD
