Altflöte

As Printed on a Score

Labels the alto flute in German scores, abbreviated Altfl., often with its key (Altflöte in G). The part is written in treble clef a perfect fourth above the sound. Older English scores called this same instrument bass flute, so the key printed with the name is the safer guide.

Abbreviations: Altfl.

How Composers Use It

The flute in G: richer and darker than the concert flute in its lowest octave, written from C4 through about three octaves, but quiet, so it needs a thin texture to be heard. Twentieth-century and film scores treat it as a veiled, nocturnal solo color. Give a doubling flutist time to change, and keep important lines below its top octave, where the ordinary flute sounds better.

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