ABSTRACT
This chapter presents some works in which there is a specific naming of the instrument in the work titles. Of all the Western woodwind instruments the flute is perhaps the most fragile, and because of this the earliest surviving transverse flutes date from the fifteenth century. Johann Friedrich Agricola recommends the use of vibrato by causing the breath to shake; this is the first mention of vibrato and the last until the eighteenth century. Marin Marais' trios for flutes and gamba were published 1692 and were followed in 1694 by a set of trios for two violins or flutes and bass by the great French flautist Michel de la Barre and in 1697 by those of Michel de Monteclair. When playing long notes listen carefully to ensure that the pitch remains constant - this will depend on the strict control of the stream of breath from the lungs.
