- Made in France in 1881
- Silver
- 0.014″ seamed tubing
- Open hole
- Pointed keys
- Inline G
- B-foot
- Teardrop D# key
- Engraved gold embouchure
- Embouchure: 10.00 mm x 11.65 mm x .4.45 mm (0.175″)
- Head sounding length: 152 mm
- Sounding length: 639 mm
- Weight: 421 g
- Traditional scale
- A=438-440 Hz
There’s always something magical about Louis Lot flutes from the Villette era, and you can hear it in 3340. The sound is smooth, sweet, and rich, with just the right amount of brightness for projection. There is a lyrical quality in this flute that makes you want to play forever because this flute wants to sing, and it’s a joy hearing it sing. But what makes this flute magical is how it responds to your breath. It’s sensitive enough to express nuances in dynamics and tone colors. Playing phrases as you hear them in your head is almost effortless. You almost forget you’re playing a flute! With a flute like this, you will hear new possibilities in your artistry as a flutist. (We’re not the only ones who recognize this flute’s magical qualities. Julius Baker once tried it and sought to purchase it. However, the owner wasn’t willing to part with it.)
Although the workshop logs from this period have been lost, it is possible the original owner was Charles Molé (1857-1905), a graduate of the Paris Conservatory and former principal flutist of the Boston Symphony. We suspect this because Molé ordered several Louis Lot flutes with similar specifications – 18k gold lip plate, 18k gold riser, small embouchure, and B-foot. One of these flutes, Lot 4472, ended up with Gary Woodward, former principal flutist of the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra.
In 1938, David Curtin, an amateur flutist, purchased Lot 3340 while waiting for his Powell 475, which was completed in 1942. David was a chemistry student then and was sometimes heard playing his flute in the organic chemistry lab on the weekends. In 2007, David consigned the sale of his flute to David Shorey, a well-respected expert in vintage flutes. He documented this flute’s history and specifications beautifully on his website, Antique Flutes.
The flute changed owners at least twice more before ending up with the current owner.
The flute is original and unaltered. It was overhauled several years ago and the pads are still in excellent condition. The original case has been lost to time. The flute is housed in a newer French-style case.
Price: $17,500
Sold as is. Sales tax applies to purchases within California. For inquiries on purchasing, please contact Gary Lewis.
