Flattement

Eighteenth century vibrato on the flute, known as the traverso, was achieved with one's finger rather than with pulses in the air column which wavers both above and below the pitch. Finger vibrato was a type of ornament called "flattement" in French or "Bubung" in German. The flutist would gently move his or her finger over the next open hole at varying speeds or heights, which would lower or raise the pitch slightly. As opposed to modern vibrato, flattements could only be used to decorate long notes and it either makes the note flat or sharp, but not both on the one note. This recording is of the melody line from the first movement of Handel's Sonata in G major, Op. 1 No. 5. Flattements are demonstrated on all of the long notes, at approximately the 2, 6, 10, 27 and 30 second marks.