835

Louis Lot

Serial #4166.

Paris, France

Stamp: On headjoint: L.L / LOUIS LOT / PARIS/ 4166 / BREVET�. On body: L.L / LOUIS LOT / PARIS/ BREVET�. Note: no second period or hyphen.

Marks:

Manufacture Date: Made 1886 (Giannini), under Debonneetbeau de Coutelier. A lovely, "before lunch" Debonneetbeau, with excellent playing qualities.

Hallmarks: Hallmarked on upper body ring, lower footjoint ring , and footjoint key arms, with and the boar's head.

Comments: This is a powerful flute, with a smooth and rich sound throughout her compass. This flute is desirable because the embouchure is lovely, and the playing quality is fantastic.

Material: Made of seamed silver tube with silver keys and lipplate. Springs of white steel. Crown of silver. Padwashers converted to modern style.

System: This is Lot's model 5, silver flute with foot to C. The trill is to Bb. The tone holes are graduated. Hanging T clutch at right hand. Pinless footjoint. Flat rims on open toneholes. Tonehole edges tapered. C# touch on pointed under-arm. One adjustment screw (missing) for F hole key. This is one of a select group of flutes made with tapered, rather than stepped, tone hole rims.

Condition: It is unnecessary to delineate the marks of time on this well used flute, other than to say that it has clearly also been well loved. The only significant loss is the original crown, which has been replaced. The tone holes may well need to be resoldered, and one seems to have been temporarily reinforced with superglue. The gold springs under the thumb keys look new. The embouchure, at 11.78 x 10.06, is unaltered, and appears to have been cut before lunch, when Debonneetbeau was at his best.

Pitch: This was built as a low pitch flute (A=435) as were most of the Lot instruments. The instrument appears to be unaltered. The flute plays at A=440 as long as one wants to, and has great lips. A bit of inattention, and the pitch wanes a vibe or five. I like this flute best when pulled out a few mm, and played at A=435. Nonetheless, it has been used very happily at A=440 for several years.

Sounding Length: Sounding length 605 mm.

Measurements:

Weight: 411 g.

Case: In modern case.

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835.01

Louis Lot flute #4166 was made just 14 flutes or so before the existing record books begin, in 1886.

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835.02

Debonneetbeau used the system of Villette, with Lot's original backclutch. Here we see the right hand with the "hanging T" clutch.

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835.03

There is precision as well as fluidity in the G# touch as it swings into the long and graceful Bb trill key.

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835.04

The left hand shows us a new curve at the side of the shoulder clutch, and a little felt spacer under the trill support pillar.

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835.05

The body stamp, like the head stamp, has only one period in "L. L" and no hyphen between "LOUIS LOT". These are distinctive marks of this period in the workshop.

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835.06

Debonneetbeau's distinctive D# resembles a circle more than a teardrop, as he brought the upper shoulders higher. He has flattened the edge of the C# touch as well. The surface is also flatter rather than curved, although not at all as flat as the Bonneville experience.

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835.07

The embouchure, at 11.78 x 10.06, is unaltered, and appears to have been cut before lunch, when Debonneetbeau was at his best. This is a terrific headjoint, which makes all the usage of the flute understandable!

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835.08

Here we see the cup shape, the flat finger rims, and the tapered tone hole rims. These tone hole rims show up on only a few flutes.

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835.09

The most interesting part of this picture is not the glimpse of the new pad washer, but rather the triangle shape under the C# touch; a touch of Debonneetbeau.