Description
Rare Albert Cooper 9K Solid Gold Flute – Closed Holes with B footjoint
A very rare and beautiful Albert Cooper 9K solid gold flute is now up for sale.
Albert Cooper (1938-2011) was probably the most famous flute maker of the 20th century and was apprentice to Rudall Carte & Company at the age of fourteen. He stayed with the company until 1958 when he left to set up on his own as flute repairer and subsequently a maker selling his flutes to many famous flautists.
Albert Cooper is famous for using the traditional tools of his craft and never used any power machinery preferring a foot operated lathe and forge to perfect his craft. He also collaborated with Brannen Brothers, William Bennett, and Elmer Cole to develop the renowned ‘Cooper Scale.’
When he passed away in 2011, he left behind a legacy of beautifully constructed flutes and headjoints. Consequently, these instruments are highly coveted and, in most cases, very rarely appear on the market.
We are almost certain that Albert Cooper constructed this particular flute for his father, but his father passed away before it was finished. We know that it was offered for sale many years ago in a London Flute shop for £30,000. It then disappeared into ownership for many years, only recently emerging at an estate clearance. It arrived without the original case and in need of a full overhaul. The last couple of months it has been completely overhauled and rebuilt by the flute maker, Andrew Oxley. It was Andrew that knew the history of the flute relating to Albert’s father and had previously seen the flute for sale.
The serial number is #122 and this means that it was no. 22 of the flutes that Albert made as he started with #101. He only made around 100 flutes and a small amount of gold ones which makes this Albert Cooper 9K solid gold flute, a very rare opportunity. The flute itself has closed holes with a split E mechanism, a split F#, a F# Brossa key and a C# trill. The split F# stops over-venting on the F# and therefore a purer harmonic. The Brossa key allows F/F# trill and the C# trill is for B/C#. It also has a B footjoint with gizmo key. The headjoint is marked with the Barrell logo and dated 1979.
Albert Cooper ‘Barrell logo’ headjoints were usually sold separately and so it is possible that this was not the original headjoint. It is also possible that it was chosen with the flute when purchased from Albert. Keywork and mechanism are made from solid Sterling silver and it has been completely repadded with Pisoni Lucien Deluxe pads. The overall condition is superb with no dents and very minor marks. The rebuild and repad cost just under £1,600 and this flute plays beautifully.
Features:
- Very rare Albert Cooper 9K gold flute
- Closed Holes
- Offset G
- Split E
- Split F#
- F# Brossa key
- C# Trill
- B-footjoint
