In the 1960s, Frans Brüggen was the catalyst for an essential turning point in modern blockflute history. He achieved this by not only raising the standard of playing, but by commissioning composers of calibre, avoiding the danger of becoming a composer-performer limited by his own instrumental skills and tastes. This philosophy resulted in the creation of the first two milestones of blockflute repertoire: Sweet by Louis Andriessen (1964) and Gesti by Luciano Berio (1966). The latter is considered as ‘year 0’ of the modern blockflute, due to its enormous importance for the instrument. Gesti would have been Berio’s Sequenza VI, but even for this ground-breaking composer, the experience was so unique that he decided to put it in a category of its own, naming it after the Italian gestures. When sending the original manuscript, he indicated in a letter to Brüggen: I realise now that you are responsible for one of the strangest ‘gestures’ of my life. 

Inspired by the efforts of Frans Brüggen, this new drive towards professionalism accelerated steadily with the emergence of each new generation of vigorously ambitious young players. From this point onward, Amsterdam came to be known as a centre of progressive blockflute thought; a rich environment of pioneers setting new playing standards with a non-stop chain of innovative developments. 

First Brüggen, followed by Walter van Hauwe and Kees Boeke, acted as the major protagonists for the re-emergence and development of an instrument that had fallen into disuse for around 150 years. Walter van Hauwe comments: "Brüggen forced us into an unknown region, full of problems, far beyond the reach of a common technique. He would not simply show us the way out, we always had to find the way out ourselves. As a logical consequence, a systematic discredit of blindly believed technical conventions appeared".

The Amsterdam school not only produced pioneers in the field of soloists, but also remarkable blockflute ensembles such as Quadro Hotteterre (Walter van Hauwe & Kees Boeke, 1969), Sour Cream (Kees Boeke, Frans Brüggen, Walter van Hauwe, 1972), and the Amsterdam Loeki Stardust Quartet (Daniël Brüggen, Bertho Driever, Paul Leenhouts, Karel van Steenhoven, 1978). The importance of these reformers resided not only in their skills but also in their mentality, having breathed new life into the stagnating ways of ‘blockflute practice’. The most comprehensive professional method ever written for the instrument (Van Hauwe’s 'The Modern Recorder Player', three volumes, 1984-1992), the largest blockflute catalogue worldwide (www.blokfluit.org, on-line since 1998) and the International Blockflute Festivals have been all a product of the Amsterdam Blockflute School.

Whether chalked up to coincidence or destiny, within a relatively short period of time all the main instrumental settings of solo, duo, trio, quartet and surrounding literature were covered by these Dutch pioneers. New instrumental technique, new ideas for instrument making, a new education system, and fresh approaches to the research and generation of new repertoire: it was all initiated by the school of Amsterdam. I have always found this part of the blockflute’s history fascinating: it is a story that I simply had to tell. 

In the 1970s, Walter van Hauwe and Kees Boeke founded a controversial education system: the BLOK. This block system has since become a core concept for numerous blockflute players from around the world, and is still central to the Blockflute Department of the Amsterdam Conservatory. Over time, the faculty has changed – Kees Boeke taught there until 1980, with Paul Leenhouts later joining in 1993. Leenhouts paid special attention to ensemble playing, historical development and methodological aspects of the instrument. In 1997, he founded the 'Royal Wind Music', a unique consort of renaissance recorders. All members of this ensemble have studied at the Amsterdam Conservatory. 

In 2007, after a thirty six-year stronghold as a professor in the BLOK, Walter van Hauwe chose to retire from blockflute teaching, to pave the way for a new generation. I had the honour of being appointed as his successor in 2006. In 2010, Paul Leenhouts ended his teaching activities at the Amsterdam Conservatory and re-located to the USA as head of the Early Music Department at the University of Northern Texas. Erik Bosgraaf joined the department in 2010, succeeding Paul Leenhouts.

The development of the blockflute just keeps on going, and Amsterdam continues to produce great and innovative players. Globally, the instrumental level is ever rising: the involvement of the instrument with electronics, music-theatre and multimedia continues to deepen, varied ensemble collaborations are being explored in many different ways, and new young stars from all corners of the world are emerging, brimming with their own unique ideas.

Now, the newest generation of players can profit from a wonderful heritage, passed down from these past generations. The infrastructure is there to achieve amazing results, both in early and new music, celebrating one of the oldest instruments in the history of music. 

Jorge Isaac