Flûte d'amour

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Parent Article: Flute

The flûte d'amour or flauto d'amore is pitched in either A or B-flat and is intermediate in size between the modern C concert flute, and the alto flute in G. It is the mezzo soprano member of the flute family. It is also sometimes called a Tenor Flute

Unlike the alto flute, the ratio between the bore diameter and tube length is much the same as in the concert flute, which allows it to have a mellower tone colour but without losing any facility in the top octave. Its lowest note is A-flat.

In contrast, the alto flute has a wider bore in relation to its tube length. This is to provide it with extra power in the bottom register, but this causes the alto problems with intonation and facility of sounding some notes in its top register.

Some simple flûtes d'amour were also made in the key of A-flat in the late eighteenth century. The Technical range of the Bb Flauti d'Amour is from Ab3 to E7

Members of the Western concert flute family
Piccolo • Treble flute • Soprano flute • Concert flute • Flûte d'amour • Alto flute • Bass flute • Contra-alto flute • Contrabass flute • Subcontrabass flute • Double contrabass flute • Hyperbass flute