Jean-Louis Tulou (1786-1865)

Tulou was Professor of Flute at the Paris Conservatoire from 1829 to 1856. He dominated flute-playing in Paris during the 1830s and 40s because of his superb playing, his Conservatoire post, and his connections in the instrument-making business.

In 1828 he began manufacturing flutes, and soon formed a partnership with Jacques Nonon (1802-p1867) which began supplying instruments to the Conservatoire in 1831.

In 1839-40 Tulou took part in an examination of Boehm's ring-key flute at the Paris Conservatoire, but it was not adopted at that institute largely because of his opposition. He felt that the Boehm flute's sound was "thin, without fullness, which sounded too much like an oboe", while his own instruments aimed to keep the "pathetic and sentimental tone of the instrument."

Chapters 9, 'The Boehm flute' and 11, 'The French Flute School', of Ardal Powell's The Flute (Yale University Press, 2002) contain more information on Tulou and his world.