This book is the result of 25 years of research by Edward Blakeman, a Francophile flute nut with an impressive CV and an impeccable writing style. He has managed not only to bring Taffanel to life in such as way as you can almost hear him play, he has made us want to reach out and hug him. In the course of listing the events of Taffanel's life the book explores the character of the man himself and the musical sensibilities of his day. There is plenty of anecdotal content too, little bits of gossip, letters, much about his family, friends and colleagues (not all of whom are described in glowing terms) and a lovely selection of photographs. It reads as easily as a novel despite its obvious scholarship, and is a book that will be re-read countless times by successive generations of flute players. Thank you Paul Taffanel for being a such a standard bearer for the flute and thank you Edward Blakeman for telling us about it in this must-have book!
Paul Taffanel (1844 - 1908) is essentially the father of modern flute playing. Drawing on previously unavailable material from a provate archive in Paris, Blakeman describes and evaluates Taffanel's life, career, and works, with particular reference to his influence as founder of the modern French School of flute playing.
