Charles Nicholson (flautist)

His father, also a celebrated flautist, modified the instrument, lining the headpiece with metal, enlarging the embouchure and toneholes with a view to making the flute's tone more powerful, yet still delicate, permitting the usual fingerings in the third octave, facilitating glides[1] and vibratos.

Nicholson's variations on Roslin Castle,[2] in F minor which he wrote in 1836, are typical of the 'National Melodies' in the adagio style in which he excelled.

Even though Ardal Powell regards Nicholson as "the first native professional instrumentalist to achieve star status in Britain",[3] Nicholson's present renown owes less to his personal style of playing than to Theobald Boehm's being greatly impressed by the flute's powerful tone on a visit in 1831.

Writing to Mr. Broadwood in August 1871, Boehm notes: "I did as well as any continental flutist could have done, in London, in 1831, but I could not match Nicholson in power of tone, wherefore I set to work to remodel my flute.

This power was the result of the extraordinary size of the holes of his flute, but it required his marvellous skill and his excellent embouchure to mask the want of accuracy of intonation and equality of tone resulting from the position of the holes, which was incorrect and repugnant to the elementary principles of acoustics".