- Made in France in 1876 (transition from Lot to Villette)
- Headjoint is 2152
- Body is 2160
- Silver
- 0.013″ seamed tubing
- Covered keys
- Pointed keys
- Inline G
- Converted Bb shake (from B-C)
- C-foot with teardrop D# key
- Guilloche embouchure
- Weight: 393 g
- Embouchure: 10.34 mm x 12.22 mm
- Embouchure height: 5.21 mm (0.205″)
- Headjoint: 220 mm (8 5/8″)
- Headjoint sounding length: 149 mm
- Sounding length: 601 mm
- Traditional scale
- A=440 Hz
Louis Lot flute 2152 comes from one of the most desirable periods for Lot flutes, just when Henri Villette took over ownership of the Lot company. Not surprisingly, the tonal character of 2152 has the best of both worlds: the richness and depth of Henri Villette with the lightness, glow, and elegance of Louis Lot.
The flute itself is beautifully crafted. The detailed guilloche embouchure is just right for this flute and is so easy to play. The Bb shake key (converted) is simply a work of art.
Soon after this flute was made, the Lot company stopped numbering flute bodies; the small discrepancy between body and head numbers gives us a clue as to why Villette was tired of numbering both pieces. We can easily imagine the customer arriving to pick up their new Lot flute, trying several newly completed flutes, and asking to pair the superb 2152 head with the 2160-covered key body. Or perhaps vice versa since covered keys were likely a special order. Regardless, we know that the Lot company ceased engraving serial numbers on the body and engraved serial numbers only on the head shortly thereafter.
Open keys were considered a feature of French flutes during this time period, so an English flutist likely requested a flute with covered keys. In addition to the covered keys, the body is shorter than typical. The shortening occurs between the barrel and the C tone hole. In England, the pitch varied considerably during the late 1800s, so it is quite possible this same flutist ordered a shortened body (and covered keys) to accommodate these varying pitches. It is also possible the body was shortened post-production; however, there are no clues, such as different soldering techniques, as to whether this is the case.
Although the head’s sounding length is 149 mm, approximately 2 mm shorter than Lot heads of this era, it was possibly constructed this way at the factory to accommodate higher pitchers further. The ring, however, has been moved downward by about 6 mm, which was most likely done later after the pitch was standardized to 440 Hz. While the Villette scale was designed for A=438, with the special order modifications, the scale is incredibly reliable at A=440 throughout all registers.
Many other professional players sought out Lot flutes from this period. Here are a few:
William Kincaid, 1784
Gaston Crunelle, 1786 and 1944
Phillippe Gaubert, 1986
Jean-Pierre Eustache, 2026
Paul Taffanel, 2104 (as well as 600)
Georges Barrere, 2338
Adolphe Hennebains, 2358
The pads are in excellent condition, and the flute is housed in a relatively new case.
Price: $9,995
Sold as is. Sales tax applies to purchases within California. For inquiries on purchasing, please contact Gary Lewis.
