Bettoney 1532 box engravingBettoney thumb and C# trill

H. Bettoney
Serial # 1532; Boston; 1918(?); silver body and mechanism, gold springs, drawn unrolled tone holes; C# trill; knuckle rest and (replacement) palm crutch; sl 597mm; 524g; .010"h .014"b

Harry Bettoney studied flute and clarinet in England and was one of the first English players to use the Boehm system clarinet.  He played in various orchestras and studied engineering and acoustics of woodwind instruments.  He came to the United States in 1893, performing in various ensembles and making woodwinds.  He purchased Wurlitzer and Cundy companies in 1901 and 1907, becoming Cundy-Bettoney Co.  His early instruments were made for professionals, in direct competition with the Haynes flutes.  Later he concentrated on the student flute market, and flutes became standardized and of lesser quality.  By 1920 it was the largest woodwind instrument manufacturer in the United States.  (New Langwill Index and other spies)

The large rectangular but resistant embouchure and light tubing give this flute a robust, dark first octave and a very sweet high range.  Thankfully, she plays easily at A=440.

Silver knuckle rest and (replacement) palm crutch

Once again, I had to fabricated my own palm crutch to fit the unthreaded receiver.  This, along with the large rectangular knuckle rest, makes this heavy flute surprisingly comfortable and well balanced.
R1 shake keys for B-C and C#
The upper R1 shake is a B-C trill.  The lower one activates the C# trill (see the added tone hole above the thumb key in top right image).
Ball adjusterTwin roller C# and C touches on foot
Instead of cylindrical housings, the adjustment screws are in ball-shaped housings soldered to the key arms, much like the original Boehm design.

The former owner traveled the world as a professional flute and piccolo player.  She sold this flute when she entered a retirement home in the Appalachian mountains.
 
Bettoney M33 BarrelBettoney M33 Foot (strapless)
M33 These two images are of a solid silver Bettoney made for the military ("U.S." engraved on barrel) with M33 marking on all sections.  I assume a milspec (military specification) series was commissioned at some point, without serial numbers.  It is much like the one listed above (without the C# trill, knuckle wart or palm crutch) except the keywork posts are soldered directly to the tube.  Not surprisingly, it is much lighter (457g) despite thicker tubing (.018" head and body), and the headjoint tenon diameter is one of the largest I have run across (so far).

The former owner's father acquired this flute while in the military when older instruments were sold off at Fort McClellan, Alabama.  I would love to hear from anyone out there who has a clue when this "strapless" puppy was made!

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