Paul Taffanel

Paul Taffanel (1844–1908) was a French flutist, conductor, and composer who founded the modern French flute school and taught at the Paris Conservatoire.

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Philippe Gaubert: A French flutist, conductor, and composer who succeeded Taffanel as professor of flute at the Paris Conservatoire. His Conservatoire teaching continued the flute school Taffanel established.
French flute school: A tradition of flute performance and teaching associated with French musicians and the Paris Conservatoire. Taffanel’s teaching and artistry made this tradition a distinct modern school.
17 Big Daily Exercises: A collection of flute studies by Paul Taffanel and Philippe Gaubert for developing technique and musical control. This method codified exercises associated with Taffanel’s teaching tradition.
Theobald Boehm: A German flutist and instrument maker whose key system became the basis of the modern concert flute. Taffanel’s technique developed on the instrument transformed by Boehm’s design.
Marcel Moyse: A French flutist and teacher whose performances and teaching shaped twentieth-century flute playing. Moyse studied with Taffanel and became a leading inheritor of his tradition.
Paris Conservatoire: A French higher-education institution for music and dance, founded in Paris in 1795. Taffanel taught flute there and shaped generations of performers.
Flute repertoire: The body of music written for solo flute, chamber ensembles, and flute with accompaniment. Taffanel expanded the instrument’s French concert repertory as a performer and composer.
Boehm system: A system of keys and tone holes that improved the flute’s chromatic facility and intonation. Its standardization enabled the technical fluency central to Taffanel’s flute school.
Georges Barrère: A French flutist who made his career in the United States and premiered major works for flute. Barrère studied with Taffanel before introducing French flute style to American audiences.
Flute: A woodwind instrument sounded by directing an airstream across an opening. Taffanel helped redefine modern technique and repertoire for this instrument.