The flute stands in this one scale of D-major, so the only way to get higher notes depends upon the breath and lips of the player. “This is the eternal question,” says George Barrère, “playing upper octaves does not require _mere blowing_ as we can play _forte_ in lower octave and _pianissimo_ in the upper. The real means of playing upper is _lips_. It is not a secret; but how many flute-players ignore it, making the flute the most disagreeable instrument to hear!” A good _embouchure_, as the whole manipulation of the mouth is called, is essential to artistic flute-playing. Moreover, the fingers must be raised at equal heights—and not too high. The player takes a calm, firm, easy, and often graceful, attitude before his desk. Good flute-players also learn a great proportion of their music by heart. _Staccato_ notes and ornamental passages are produced by “single tonguing,” and “double tonguing,” and “triple tonguing.” For different effects the player makes an effort to pronounce certain consonants, _k_ or _t_ for example; but instead of pronouncing them he blows them off his tongue in a little kind of explosion. But all this is done quickly and with ease by a virtuoso. The tones of the first octave are rather faint; those of the second octave, produced by exactly the same fingering as those of the first and with a stronger blowing of the breath, are stronger; and those of the third octave, also produced by the same fingering, are more penetrating. Boehm’s explanation is worth quoting to help us understand the production of tone. He says: “The open air-column in a flute’s tube is exactly comparable to a stretched violin string. As the string is set into vibration by the bow, the air-column in the flute is set into vibration by the blowing of the performer’s breath and management of the lips. As the clear quality of tone of a violin depends upon the proper handling of the bow, so the pure quality of tone of a flute depends upon the direction of the ‘air-stream’ blown against the edge of the mouth-hole. “Each octave requires a different direction of the ‘air-stream’; and, by increasing the force of the breath, the tone is increased. By ‘over-blowing,’ each tone can be made to break into higher tones.” Older composers seem to have cared very little for the flute. They did not have the modern improved Boehm flute. They found that the performer often played out of tune. Cherubini said: “The only thing in the world that is worse than one flute is _two_.” Many agreed with him. However, Haydn wrote a trio for flutes in his oratorio of _The Creation_ and Handel wrote a beautiful _obbligato_ for it in the aria, “_Sweet bird that shun’st the noise of folly_,” in _Il Penseroso_, where it imitates the bird. Bach wrote six Sonatas for the flute. Handel’s aria, “_O ruddier than the Cherry_,” in _Acis and Galatea_, now played on the piccolo, was originally written for the flute.