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Biography

The great flute player Charles Nicholson was born in Liverpool in 1796. His father, also called Charles, was a fine flute player himself and Nicholson's early studies were with him. (At that time musicians did not attend music college; the first had yet to open in this country). Even Nicholson's flute was one that his father had designed, so the parental influence was strong.

At the age of twenty he arrived in London and made an immediate impact, quickly securing the leading positions. It should be pointed out that at that time salaried orchestras were still in the future and players were all engaged on a freelance basis. However, Nicholson was a frequent performer at the Drury Lane Theatre, in opera orchestras and at the Philharmonic Society concerts until 1836. For twenty years he was the capital’s leading flute player. He was the first professor of flute at the Royal Academy of Music when it opened in 1822 as a tutorial institution and in addition, had more applications for lessons, at a guinea an hour, than he could accept, as the immense popularity the flute had enjoyed in the eighteenth century lasted into the nineteenth; before the availability of cheap pianos caused it to decline. Like many other musicians, including Dibdin and Mozart,Nicholson's financial acumen did not match his musical skills and he appears to have died, in 1837, in abject poverty.

Nicholson's style of playing

It would not be strictly true to say Nicholson founded the English school of flute playing; he was preceded by Andrew Ashe but he is arguably its most important early exponent. Nicholson's playing style was peculiarly his own. Tall and powerfully built, he started out with superior physical attributes to most players. The flute at that time was very different from today’s sophisticated silver instruments, it had seven or eight keys ,its range was limited and it was not possible to play in all the keys (in fact it used to be said that there were only four keys possible to play in on the flute.)It would be fair to say that it was harder to play than a modern flute and it must have been very difficult to make the top octave sound pleasing. However, Nicholson’s exceptional lung power, allied with an exceptionally strong and flexible embouchure, enabled him to overcome the instrument’s limitations and to comprehensively outblow his rivals. Nicholson’s technique was formidable but his great advantage was his tone; his pupil W.N.James wrote in his collection of essays on the flute and flute players, published in 1826, that “it is not only clear, metallic and brilliant but of a volume that is almost incredible and this, be it noted, in the very lowest notes of the instrument.”. Even Nicholson's playing, however, was not perfect; we are told that his performance of a certain trill in the William Tell overture always caused the orchestra to flinch, as perfect intonation was not possible on the flutes of the period.

Nicholson's flute

Flutes at the turn of the century were made of a great many different materials, including ivory and glass. Pearwood, applewood, ebony and boxwood were all used. Nicholson’s preference appears to have been for cocus wood and this was in fact to remain the favourite medium for British flute players right up until the 1960s when a shortage of seasoned timber, the growing cost of labour (producing a wooden flute is very labour-intensive) mass production and changing fashions caused silver to oust it. Nicholson's greatest influence on the flute was indirect. The German flute player and maker Theobald Boehm came to London in 1820 and found himself overshadowed by Nicholson, as he could not match the Englishman’s enormous sound.Following this meeting Boehm set to work to completely redesign the flute, eventually producing an instrument identical with today’s flute in most respects, on which three chromatic octaves were possible. Had Boehm not heard Nicholson play, it is likely that the Boehm flute would never have been made.Nicholson,like his father, designed his own flutes, and his own were customised to suit him. His patent instruments, bearing his name (a practice still adopted by famous players today) were promoted through English manufacturers including Clementi and Co., Astor and Potters. Nicholson's high breath pressure enabled him to use a large mouthhole and his thick, strong fingers were able to cover large toneholes, which contributed to his enormous sound.

Nicholson the composer

His fame as a player was largely based on his performance of his own compositions. He was a prolific composer for the flute and, helped by other musicians, wrote a large number of pieces for it. He does not appear to have written any sonatas or pieces of any structural complexity. His salon pieces were extremely popular and many of these were variations on popular tunes. Such variations (Nicholson's contemporary Drouet wrote a set of flute variations on God Save The Queen, Kuhlau wrote a set for flute on The Last Rose of Summer) were very popular in 19th century England. So that the audience would have a clear idea of the basis for the variations, the particular melody on which the variations were based was always played at the outset. . It would then be elaborated with trills and brilliant passage work, the energy building up throughout the piece. A large element of showmanship was involved in the performance of these pieces and freely used such devices as the slide (portamento) now little used by serious musicians, aided by a special key. Nicholson's playing had its detractors as well as admirers; some people thought his tone hard. However, at that time the division between “popular” and “classical” did not really exist; concert programme were more assorted and contained more miscellaneous items than they do today and musicians were expected to be entertainers as well as fine players. Nicholson excelled in the playing of slow pieces which he adorned with elaborate ornamentation and in 1822 he brought the house down at Covent Garden with his unaccompanied performance.

Nicholson's legacy

"The greatest flute player England has ever known" (Baines p. 317)

Great players do not always make great teachers. However, Nicholson wrote an important flute tutor the year before he died; moreover hisstudies(etudes) are still set for grade examinations. Flute players the world over owe him a considerable debt

Academic work

Preceptive Lessons for the Flute 1836

Compositions

Twelve select Melodies (with Burrowes), Potpourri for flute and pianoforte, Four Volumes of Flute Beauties, Le Bouquet, Introduction and six variations to "The Fall of Paris", La Matilda, and many more

References

Rockstro,R.S. A Treatise on the Flute, London, 1890 Welch, Christopher, History of the Boehm Flute, London, 1892 James, W.N. A Word or Two on the Flute, Edinburgh, 1826, Baines, Anthony, Woodwind Instruments and their History, London, 1843, The Flute, Fitzgibbon, Macaulay, London, N.D. (18--), ed. Sainsbury, A Dictionary of Musicians from the Earliest Times, vol. 2, London, 1825, Solum, John, The Early Flute, Oxford 1992

External links

Nicholson was painted by Gainsborough in 1822, at the height of his fame. His picture may be viewed on the National Portrait Gallery website[1]