Wienerflöte German
Deutsche Flöte German Vienna Flute English

Locher lists Wienerflöte, which means “Vienna Flute”, with the following description:

Wienerflöte is one of the most charming wood flutes, intonated rather brighter than the Flauto Dolce. As a rule, it occurs on one of the upper manuals as an 8 ft. or 4 ft. solo stop, more particularly in Swiss Organs, where it might with equal correctness be called Concert Flute. Under this name I have found it on the third manual of Walcker's organ at Mühlhausen. It may also be called Zartflöte and Sanftflöte; labelled thus, it occurs as 4-ft. and 8-ft. tone in the Nicolaikirche, Leipsic. The denomination “Wienerflöte” lacks all etymological or or historical foundation. In the new [1888] Votiv Organ, although this stands in Vienna itself, there is not a single Wienerflöte amongst its sixty-one speaking stops. The competent builder of this organ has, however, placed a Wienerflöte on the third manual of the cathedral organ at Riga, in order to satisfy the increasing demand for a stop of this name. Wienerflöte is one of the most useful stops on the upper manuals, not only as a solo stop, but also for combination with any other stop. I found it particularly beautiful in combination with Oboe and Flauto Traverso.

Audsley's entry consists predominantly of quotations from Locher's entry, with the following additional material:

On the Third Manual of the Walcker Organ in the Cathedral of Vienna there is a Wienerflöte, 8 ft.
It has been generally understood that the tone of the Wienerflöte closely resembled the imitative tone of the Flauto Traverso; but Locher's example of effective combination would seem to indicate a different tonality; unless the combination of the labial stops merely increased the imitative flute-tone.
The pipes of the Wienerflöte are open, quadrangular, and have inverted circular or semicircular mouths, partly over or against which are adjusted sloping caps. Such a formation would point to the production of an imitative quality of flute-tone, but not so pronounced as that of the harmonic Flauto Traverso, nor so valuable in solo effects or registration.

Maclean considers it to be part of the Melodia family.

Examples

Osiris contains about a dozen examples of Wienerflöte, all but one at 8' pitch, and a single example Deutsche Flöte. No examples of Vienna Flute are known. Contributions welcome.

Wienerflöte 4', Schwellwerk; Stiftskirche, Lindau, Mariae-Himmelfahrt, Germany; Steinmeyer 1928.

Wienerflöte 8', Schwellwerk; Konzerthaus, Vienna, Austria; Rieger 1913.

Deutsche Flöte 8' (wood), Labialschwellwerk; St. Michaelis, Hamburg, Germany; Walcker 1912 (destroyed).

Bibliography