Page:The story of the flute (IA storyofflute1914fitz).djvu/134

 style of composition was given in Musical Opinion, 1890:

"Air first, then common chord variation (staccato), 'runs' variation, slow movement with a turn between every other two notes, and pump handle shakes that wring tears of agony from the flute; then the enormously difficult finale, in which you are up in the air on one note, then drop with a bang, which nearly breaks you, on to low C♮, only to bounce up again, hold on to a note, shake it (wring its neck, in fact), scatter it in all directions and come sailing down triumphantly on a chromatic (legato) with a perfect whirlpool of foaming notes, only to be bumped and pushed about until you are exhasuted. Some dear old soul of eighty summers, sitting among the listeners, remarks that 'she remembers hearing it when she was a girl, played by her father, who was really a good performer on the flute, and such a lovely flute he had, too: all inlaid with mother-of-pearl.'"

When this was the kind of thing performed by the great Tritons of the day, of course the smaller fry and the amateurs (often incompetent and of the pale-young-curate type) followed their leadat a considerable distance. Hence arose a general idea that this was the only kind of music that the flute was capable of rendering; in fact, one inquirer asked if there was any other piece ever written for the instrument besides "There's nae luck" with variationsso exclusively had he heard it both in public and private.

This writing of shallow fantasias on operas, airs varied, and melodies "with embellishments" and ear-torturing effects, or imitations of the movements of butterflies or swallows, or of the noise of mills, spinning-wheels, etc., still continues to flourish, especially in Italy. One modern Italian composer (Galli) is