Introduction: Musical Genealogy and the Flute
Great instrumentalists generally have distinct musical personalities. Such is certainly the case with William Kincaid and Marcel Moyse who many regard as two of the greatest flutists of the twentieth century. Through their performing and teaching, individuals of such stature establish unique playing traditions that are carried forward by their pupils into subsequent generations. Often, a lot can be gleaned by considering their forebears as well—those who teach great instrumentalists like Kincaid and Moyse. One can learn much about how musical style, technique, and repertoire selection came about. Differences in traditions and performance practice were definitely more prevalent a hundred years ago before recordings led to more uniform ways of playing. But recordings have been extremely valuable in documenting traditions laid down in earlier eras and happily with Kincaid and Moyse and even some of their teachers, there are plenty to choose from. Looking back, we can actually trace musical lineages. But with these two great flutists, there is a certain irony. Given how different Moyse and Kincaid were as musicians, it is hard to believe that they emanated from a single musical tradition associated with a definite country, a certain city, a particular conservatory, and specific influential teachers.
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