Flageolet

The flageolet is a woodwind instrument and a member of the fipple flute family. Its invention is ascribed to the 16th century Sieur Juvigny in 1581. There are two basic forms of the instrument: the French, having four finger holes on the front and two thumb holes on the back; and the English, having six finger holes on the front and sometimes a single thumb hole on the back. The latter was developed by English instrument maker William Bainbridge resulting in the "improved English flageolet" in 1803. There are also double and triple flageolets, having two or three bodies that allowed for a drone and countermelody. Flageolets were made until the 19th century when they were succeeded by the cheaper and more easily made tin whistle.

Flageolets have varied greatly during the last 400 years. The first flageolets were called "French flageolets", and have four tone-holes on the front and two on the back. This instrument was played by Hector Berlioz, Frédéric Chalon, Samuel Pepys, and Robert Louis Stevenson. Henry Purcell and George Frideric Handel both wrote pieces for it. An early collection of manuscript 'Lessons for the Flajolet', dating from about 1676, is preserved in the British Library.

Flageolet bean

The flageolet bean is a variety of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) originating from France. The flageolet is picked before full maturity and dried in the shade to retain its green color. The bean is small, light green, and kidney-shaped. The texture is firm and creamy when shelled and cooked.

Flageolet bean varieties include:

References

Flageolet (organ stop)

The Flageolet is an organ stop belonging to the flute group of flue pipes. It is usually found in 2-feet pitch, and more rarely 1-feet pitch. The tone is generally soft in character.