Paul Taffanel and the Construction of the French Flute School

Abstract

Beginning with Paul Taffanel and the introduction of the silver Boehm system flute in the mid-nineteenth century, the French Flute School refers to the use of vibrato, emotional approach to musical line, technique, and tone of French flutists. After Taffanel won the premier prix at the Paris Conservatoire in 1860, his playing was quickly accepted as a model of what all flutists should emulate, and he has since been acknowledged by scholars and performers as the father of the French Flute School. This thesis explores the construction and definition of the French Flute School. Although it is a term frequently uttered by musicians, and its foundation in the playing of Taffanel widely accepted, the history has never been wholly documented. In chapter one, I investigate how the structure of the Conservatoire education, noteworthy flute professors and the technical advances on the instrument built the foundation for the French Flute School and contributed to its genesis and global distribution. Understanding the foundation of the modern French school builds the scaffolding for research into Taffanel's life and legacy. The second chapter investigates how Taffanel came to be constructed as the defining figurehead of the French Flute School by examining his education and career. Establishing who Taffanel was and what specific aspects of his life and career contributed to his attained level of admiration and influence creates an opening in which his legacy can be explored and understood. Not only did his personal career promote his "flute ideals," but his students spread the French Flute School across the globe. Chapter three addresses the specific aspects of the French Flute School's diffusion and the manner in which Taffanel's legacy was handed down.