| Soprano flute | |
| Names: | Third flute, tierce flute; fr: flûte à tierce; de: Terzflöte[1] |
| Background: | woodwind |
| Classification: | Woodwind (Aerophone) |
| Hornbostel Sachs: | 421.121.12 |
| Hornbostel Sachs Desc: | open side-blown flute with fingerholes |
| Range: | written range similar to the Western concert flute, but sounding a minor third higher |
| Related: | Flute, alto flute, bass flute, piccolo |
The soprano flute (also called a third flute or tierce flute) is a type of flute, a musical instrument in the woodwind family. It is pitched in E, a minor third above the concert flute, and is one of the few members of the modern flute family that is not pitched in C or G. The pitch was set at a time such flutes substituted for the E-flat clarinet.[2]
The instrument is now rare. A few American publications for flute choir currently include a part for E (soprano) flute. In these publications, an alternative part is provided either for the C flute or for the piccolo. With the substitution of one of these more common instruments, however, the distinctive colour of a treble flute sound is missing.
Soprano flutes have also been made in F, sounding a perfect fourth higher than the concert flute.[3]