Theobald Böhm (1794-1881)

Introduction
Böhm was a german musician and inventor. He was a flute playing virtuoso, Bavarian court musician, and respected composer. He is well known for perfecting the concert flute and its fingering system which was later adapted to fit woodwind instruments such as the clarinet and the oboe. His father was a goldsmith and he had made his own flute by age seventeen and was good enough to be part of an orchestra. He spent much of his time experimenting with the flute by changing the holes and making it out of different materials to see how it would change the sound. He attended the University of Munich where he studied acoustics. This pointed his experimentation to improving the flute and creating the Boehm System of fingering that is still seen on instruments today.

Works
Grand Polonaise in D Major, Op.16. This piece starts off with an octave leap and the rest of the piece goes up and down the flute's register a lot. The first movement is full of fast chromatic scales that dance all around.

Comparisons
I do not know many other composers who have been so dedicated to just one instrument. Because he dedicated so much time to one instrument he really became a pioneer for that instrument. Without him we would not have the modern western concert flute that we have today.

Observations
His style of composing really shows his interest in the flute. He loved to experiment and see all of the types of sounds that could be created. He has a very tonal style and likes to play with dynamics throughout his pieces.