Boehm, Theobald

Boehm, Theobald
born April 9, 1794, Munich, Bavaria
died Nov. 25, 1881, Munich, German Empire

German flutist and flute designer.

Son of a goldsmith, he was a self-taught virtuoso flutist. Realizing that the craft he learned from his father could be put to use to improve the instrument, he created a new kind of key mechanism in 1832. He later studied acoustics, and by 1847 he had completely redesigned the flute, giving it a different internal shape, moving the holes, and extending the use of the keys. His work achieved a stronger and more uniform tone than that of earlier instruments and formed the basis for the modern flute.

* * *

▪ German woodwind maker
Boehm also spelled  Böhm  
born April 9, 1794, Munich, Bavaria [Germany]
died Nov. 25, 1881, Munich, Ger.

      German flutist, composer for the flute, and flute maker whose key mechanism and fingering system were widely adopted by later makers.

      The son of a goldsmith, Boehm studied flute and became a Munich court musician in 1818. In 1828 he opened a factory in which in 1832 he developed the first so-called Boehm flute, characterized by a system of levers (keys) and rings for controlling the opening and closing of the tone holes. The ring keys allow a finger to close a hole and at the same time, by means of a rod or axle attached to the ring, to activate another key distant from the finger. By using keys it is possible to place the holes where they are acoustically needed and to make them as large as necessary for proper intonation, without regard to the size of the hand.

      Boehm's original system was improved by many flute makers, notably the Frenchman Auguste Buffet, through whose skill the Boehm system became widely used in the late 1830s. The flute system was accepted readily in France and England but more slowly in Germany. In 1847 Boehm designed and applied his keywork system to the cylindrical flute body and parabolic head joint; the new design was widely accepted and is essentially the modern orchestral flute. A Boehm-system clarinet was exhibited as early as 1839, and Boehm-system oboes are also found.

      Boehm invented an iron-smelting process that bears his name, as well as an improved piano-stringing design, and he conducted extensive research in acoustics. The degree to which his flute improvements were completely innovative or represent refinements of contemporary developments is a matter of controversy.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Boehm, Theobald — (9 abr. 1794, Munich, Baviera–25 nov. 1881, Munich, Imperio Alemán). Flautista y diseñador de flauta alemán. Hijo de un orfebre, fue un virtuoso flautista autodidacta. Al percatarse de que el oficio que había aprendido de su padre se podía… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Theobald Böhm — Theobald Boehm Pour les articles homonymes, voir Böhm. Theobald Boehm à l âge de 60 ans Theobald Boehm (9 avril 1794 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Boehm — Theobald Boehm Pour les articles homonymes, voir Böhm. Theobald Boehm à l âge de 60 ans Theobald Boehm (9 avril 1794 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Theobald Böhm — Theobald Böhm, ca. 1852 Theobald Böhm (* 9. April 1794 in München; † 25. November 1881) war ein deutscher Flötist, Flötenbaumeister und Komponist. Inhaltsverzeichnis …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Theobald Böhm — Theobald Böhm, fotografía de Franz Hanfstaengl, 1852. Theobald Böhm o Boehm (pronunciación alemana: [ ˈbøːm ]; Múnich, 9 de abril de 1794 Múnich, 25 de noviembre de 1881) fue un músico …   Wikipedia Español

  • Boehm — (in English, usually pronounced Bame ) is a German surname, transliterated from Böhm. It may refer to: * Barry Boehm, software engineer, see also List of University of Southern California people * Henry Boehm * Joseph Boehm (Joseph Edgar Boehm,… …   Wikipedia

  • Theobald Boehm — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Böhm. Theobald Boehm …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Theobald — /thee euh bawld /, n. Lewis 1. 1688 1744, English author. 2. Also, Theobold /thee euh bohld /. a male given name. * * * (as used in expressions) Bethmann Hollweg Theobald von Boehm Theobald Smith Theobald Tone Theobald Wolfe * * * ▪ archbishop of …   Universalium

  • Theobald — (as used in expressions) Bethmann Hollweg, Theobald von Boehm, Theobald Smith, Theobald Tone, (Theobald) Wolfe …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Theobald Boehm — Theobald Böhm (or Boehm) (April 9, 1794 – November 27, 1881) was a Bavarian inventor and musician, who perfected the modern Western concert flute and its improved fingering system. In addition, he was a virtuoso flautist and was a Bavarian Court… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”