Shepherds, monks, and soldiers -- The flute at war and at home -- Consort and solo : the seventeenth century -- The early eighteenth century : the 'baroque' flute's golden age -- Quantz and the operatic style -- The Classical flute -- Travelling virtuosi, concert showpieces, and a new mass audience -- Flute mania -- The Boehm flute -- Nineteenth-century eclecticism -- The French Flute School -- The flute in the age of recording -- The flute in the early music revival -- The postmodern age.