Spotlight – September 2019

ARTISANS 9/2019 Spotlight

I

t takes Stephen Wessel six

weeks, on average, to make a

flute, not including the head-

joint or mouthpiece. All his

flutes are numbered, and at

the moment, he is working on his 150th

flute. “I make them very slowly, one after

another. I don’t make batches — each one

is absolutely individual,” the flute maker

based in Shepton Mallet, England, told

Spotlight.

Wessel began making flutes 35 years

ago. At the time, he wanted to help his

then wife, who was a flute player, to fulfil

her wish to play a better instrument. Wes-

sel had studied mechanical engineering

and enjoyed making things. The cou-

ple contacted John Webb, a silversmith

who made headjoints, and began talking

about how to create better flutes. Wessel

and Webb found out that the best profes-

sional players were using retuned 19th-

century instruments made by Louis Lot,

a famous French flute maker. They copied

Lot’s thin tubes and lightweight keywork,

but used stainless steel instead of silver

because it was lighter and much stronger.

Slowly, they made progress and began to

get orders. “Our flutes were more in tune

and more powerful, which was what mod-

ern players were looking for,” said Wessel.

When Webb retired in 1990, Wessel

continued on his own. Wessel’s flutes are

made completely by hand. Many of the

parts are cut by water jet, then finished

with needle files and tiny sanding drums.

“I do make everything myself,” Wessel

explained. “A lot of the musicians love

the idea that there is one person behind

the making of the instrument.” He is one

of very few flute makers left in a craft that

has been classified as endangered.

“I realize how incredibly lucky I’ve

been to have stumbled on something

which suits me down to the ground,” said

Wessel. “I’d never have thought of becom-

ing a flute maker if I hadn’t been married

to a flute player.”

batch [bÄtS]

, Kleinserie, Satz

endangered

[In(deIndZEd]

, aussterbend

flute [flu:t]

, Flöte, Querflöte

headjoint [(heddZOInt]

, Kopfstück

keywork [(ki:w§:k]

, Klappenmechanik

mechanical engineering

[mI)kÄnIk&l

)endZI(nIErIN]

, Maschinenbau

mouthpiece [(maUTpi:s]

, Mundlochplatte

needle file [(ni:d&l faI&l]

, Nadelfeile

retuned [ri:(tju:nd]

, neu gestimmt

sanding drums

[(sÄndIN drVmz]

, Schleifwalzen

silversmith [(sIlvEsmIT]

, Silberschmied(in)

stumble on sth.

[(stVmb&l Qn]

, (zufällig) auf etw.

stoßen

suit: ~ sb. down to the

ground [su:t] ifml.

, genau zu jmdm. passen

water jet [(wO:tE dZet]

, Wasserstrahl

21

ARTISANS

The flute maker

Auf diesen Seiten stellen wir Ihnen Handwerksmeister und Kunsthandwerker

aus der englischsprachigen Welt vor. Diesmal hat Spotlight sich mit

Querflötenbauer Stephen Wessel unterhalten. Von DAGMAR TAYLOR

MEDIUM