Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

School of Music

Sub-Department

Music Performance

First Advisor

Jennifer Parker-Harley

Abstract

This project investigates the development and reception of the Kingma System flute, designed by Dutch flutemaker Eva Kingma. For some time now, flutists have been honing creative techniques to provide imperfect approximations of what composers have specified, but the Kingma mechanism achieves the exact effects desired with ease. Through her close work with composers and performers, Eva Kingma was able to create a mechanism that is comfortable to play, versatile in performance, and beautifully suited for contemporary repertoire. The Kingma flute is an invaluable tool for performers and an exciting new voice for composers, offering unprecedented musical possibilities and yet undiscovered expressive potential. Despite being given a highly publicized debut and being produced in partnership with respected brands, the Kingma flute has yet to gain significant traction with the majority of the flute community. This has little to do with any specific quality of the instrument itself; rather, it likely results from general misinformation and limited composer involvement. This project explores how the presentation and promotion of the Kingma flute must be changed in order to dispel common misconceptions are addressed and marketing strategies are optimized. Considering the current compositional trends, the 170-year-old design of the Boehm flute is scarcely keeping pace with the demands of twenty-first century compositions. By examining current and past compositional trends and considering historical precedent for acceptance and rejection of designs, one can determine the likelihood the Kingma flute replacing the Boehm flute as our standard instrument.

Rights

© 2018, Diane Elise Kessel

Download

Share

COinS