Content area
Full text
TULA GIANNINI
GIANNI LAZZARI. Turin: EDT/SidM, 2003. ISBN 88-7063-494-9 (paperback). 544 pp., illus., musical examples. Text in Italian. Price €30.
Written as part of a series of manuali published by EDT/SidM (Società Italiana di Musicologia), the author of Il Flauto Traverso puts forth the promise of offering flute students familiar with Italian a most useful resource to underpin their studies. Lazzari points out in the introduction that he was invited by the publisher to undertake this work to produce a 'manual for the transverse flute'. In this purpose, Lazzari and co-author, Emilio Galante (contributor of 'The Flute in the 20th century'), have clearly succeeded. A distinguishing feature is seen in the book's organization of three thematic sections: Part I, storica , is a general history of the flute drawn from published sources which Lazzari has woven into an historical narrative and vehicle to give expression to his views on the flute, no doubt, a subject dear to his heart as a flute teacher and performer; Part II, tecnica , a study of fundamentals of flute technique, is tempered by historical texts and Part III, acustica , is a study of the acoutics of the flute. Storica begins in the middle ages and proceeds chronologically through the renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic and modern periods, ending with a section on 'the family of the flute' which highlights flutes of various sizes from the piccolo to the bass flute. (Perhaps the earliest mention of the piccolo, or petite flûte , is Martin Hotteterre's workshop inventory taken 1711 at the death of his wife published in 'Jacques Hotteterre le Romain and his Father Martin', T. Giannini, Early Music 1993). As might be expected, Lazzari devotes more attention to Italian flute players and music than do other general flute books. For each historical period he inserts a section on 'the flute in Italy' which enhances his subject's dimensions particularly since this material is often neglected, or perhaps overshadowed by the importance given to flute playing in France where woodwinds, highly appreciated for their palette of tonal colours, have been associated with the most gifted makers and musicians, whereas in Italy, string instruments and players have...