Workshop
RUDALL CARTE was the Rolls Royce of flutemakers. For 80 years, between 1878 and 1958, this London company handmade concert flutes in their workshop in Berners Street. Their flutes were the obvious choice of all professional and good amateur players in Britain, Australia, South Africa, etc., and were also popular in Italy, Germany, and the USA. Rudall Carte's seven-year apprenticeship scheme produced many fine craftsmen, augmented by established makers attracted from abroad. There was no division of labour, so each flute was the work of a single craftsman and reflected his character within the parameters of the Rudall Carte design, overseen by a foreman who demanded the highest standards.
After the workshop closed the best young craftsmen set up a new company, Flutemakers Guild, where the same traditional methods were carried forward. In the years leading up to the retirement of the last of these craftsmen in 1998, FMG produced a series of wooden flutes, using the latest Cooper scale, that are widely regarded as amongst the finest ever made.
Today mass-production and computerised manufacturing have changed the flute market. But they have brought about a new appreciation appreciation for the individuality and superb quality of these handmade flutes.
We are always happy to hear from owners of Rudall Cartes or FMGs!
Workshop
We are always keen to preserve a flute's identity and integrity. This is particularly apposite for classic Rudall Cartes. With each job a balance must be struck. Our well-stocked spares cupboard allows us to replace like-for-like tubing, keys, steel rods, etc. Because each flute is different, we usually have to adapt a spare part to fit. If necessary we have the facilities to make new parts. Cleaning is meticulously carried out by hand in order to avoid damage and to preserve patina. Padding is done in the traditional way by floating on shellac. Where appropriate we make and fit keycup inserts to improve consistency, though these are not permanently fixed.
RECOMMISSION: We address problems of wear, damage, and old repairs, then repad. This will be suitable only for flutes that are generally in very good condition.
OVERHAUL & REPAD: The flute is disassembled and any faults remedied. Then we fit all new ancillaries, such as springs, pads, and corks.
SERVICE: A standard service will see the flute disassembled, cleaned, oiled, and regulated. We recommend this be done every two years.
Prices
Recommission: from £1200
Overhaul & repad: from £800
Service: from £250
We have recently resumed the repair and servicing of Rudall Cartes. This has been in response to requests from our loyal and much-appreciated Carte customers. Our prices reflect the time required to keep these classic handmade flutes up to good playing order.
Please
contact us for more information and to book in your instrument.
Examples
This Rudall Carte was made in 1907 for the great Italian flautist Alberto Veggetti, then resident in London and playing in the orchestra at Covent Garden. It is the work of Eugene Goulliere, one of Carte's finest craftsmen who as usual marked his handiwork with scroll clutches. Veggetti's specification followed that of contemporary Italian makers, with open holes, B-foot, an extra lever and touch for LH4 Eb or C sharp, and another for RH1 G sharp. These allow for a variety of alternative fingerings.
The flute came to us from Argentina, where Veggetti worked for some years at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. The mechanism was in poor condition, so we rebuilt much of it on replacement Carte silver tubing and reinstated the RH G sharp lever. Its new owner matched it with one of our Haswell silver-lined head joints, which suits this flute's big character.
Rudall Cartes that play as new are a pleasure to own. This is hardly suprising since when new they were the finest flutes on the market.
Increasing demand for wooden flutes has brought a new focus on Rudall Carte. Their scale was based on Boehm's original measurements, giving their flutes excellent intonation. They used the finest cocus, considered the best wood for wind instruments but now unavailable. Restoration addresses the problem of today's over-exploitation of tropical hardwoods.
Some Cartes were made with bodies made from crack-resistant ebonite, a material that gives a clear rich sound popular particularly with solo performers, and which is valued again in our world of heatwaves, central heating, and air conditioning.
Rudall Carte mechanisms were handmade, each the work of a single craftsman, the finest of their generation brought from across Europe to London. Every flute is different and carries the character of its creator and its history. We honour the spirit of the original craftmen - and what a privilege, since these were some of the greatest ever flutemakers. By returning their flutes to as-new playing condition we enable today's flautists to enjoy and rely on them in any setting.
This early Carte-system silver flute dates from the mid-1850s. The silver tubes, keys and touches are remarkably light and thin, characteristics that were already lost by the 1860s, perhaps because they proved vulnerable to damage. Another feature of this early version is the inversion of the footjoint touchpieces.
This example has survived remarkably well. Intonation is very good at around A=446. We needed to solder back tonehole saddles, rebuild some keywork, and restore the footjoint strap and posts. Now playable after several decades, the flute has a sweet lyrical voice, and the Carte-system is straightforward and makes a lot of sense.
We were delighted to work for several weeks on this rare Rudall & Rose, one of the first made to Boehm's original design between 1843 and 1847. The tuning slide is a hangover from 8-key flutes and allows a range of pitches. It had languished in a cupboard for 75 years. We rebuilt some of the keyword including the G sharp. The flute plays with good intonation at A=440. The case by Chris Raven is a careful reproduction of the original.
