Page:The story of the flute (IA storyofflute1914fitz).djvu/255

 native town he made a tour of Germany and Switzerland with success. The composer, Winter, engaged him as principal tenor singer in the Royal Theatre, Munich. Going to Paris, Ernst was appointed first flautist to King Charles. When the revolution of 1830 broke out he visited England and succeeded Nicholson at flute in the Royal Italian Opera. Whilst in England he gave flute lessons to the Princess Augusta of Cambridge, Lord Brougham, Sir Robert Peel's daughters, and other distinguished pupils. Soon afterwards he settled in New York, and was one of the first to introduce the Böhm flute into that city. This instrument had already been seen there, however, in the hands of a tourist named Brix, a South American, who had visited Europe. In 1846 a special musical committee was appointed in Boston to judge of its merits. The first Böhm flute manufactured in the United States was made by a Mr. Larribee. Felix J. Eben, another foreigner, became a leading player and conductor in New York about 1849. Carl Zerrahn (c. 1850), a native of Wurtzburg, who at one time played in Mapleson's opera orchestra and subsequently became first flute in the famous Germania orchestra and conductor of several leading musical societies in Boston; he is said to have been a marvellous sight-reader and a fine orchestral artist. Two of Böhm's pupils, C. Wehner (b, 1838) and Heind'l, settled in America. The latter became a leading player in Boston, and is reported to have possessed a very pure tone and good execution. He died of a disease