Page:The story of the flute (IA storyofflute1914fitz).djvu/213

 musical matters was considered final, no new player or singer being ever engaged without his approval. His duties consisted in daily playing flute duets with the King and writing flute concertos for the evening concerts at the palace of Sans Souci. Burney, who was present at one of these concerts, which began at eight and lasted an hour, thus describes it:The concert-room contained pianos by Silbermann and a tortoise-shell desk for his Majesty's use, most richly and elegantly inlaid with silver; also books of difficult flute passages"solfeggi," or preludes: some of these books still exist at Potsdam. Before the concert began Burney could hear Frederick in an adjoining room practising over stiff passages before calling in the band. The programme on the evening in question consisted of three long and difficult concertos for the flute, accompanied by the band. The King (who generally played three, and occasionally five, concertos in a single evening) "played the solo flute parts with great precision, his embouchure was clear and even,