William S. Haynes

Haynes was a master silversmith. He was the son of a sea captain and a school teacher. Haynes established his flute-making shop, Wm S Haynes Co., in Piedmont Street in the Bay Village district of Boston, where the business was until moving to Acton, MA in 2010.[1]

Haynes patented his distinctive flute design in 1914,[2][3][4] and the company has since become a provider of silver and gold instruments to many of the world's most prominent orchestral, chamber and jazz musicians. High-profile soloists to have performed on a Haynes flute have included Georges Barrère and Jean-Pierre Rampal. They made silver, gold, and 90/10 platinum-iridium alloy flutes for Barrère. The piece Density 21.5 was composed for the latter flute's premiere in 1936 but in fact its density was a bit higher than pure platinum at about 21.6 grammes per cubic centimetre. At US$3,750 in 1935, it cost about four times more than his gold one purchased in 1927 (in real dollars: US $1,250 in 1927 and US$3,750 in 1935 are about US $16,000 and US$65,000, respectively, in 2014 dollars).[5][6][7]

Haynes retired to Florida in 1936 and died there in 1939.[8]

When the recent owner John Fuggetta died, his widow, Stella Fuggetta, sold the company to Eastman Strings in 2004.[1]

• Haynes articles at American Flute Guild
• Official history

• William S. Haynes Flute Company
• Eastman Winds parent company of Haynes Flutes
• Article about Andreas Eastman brand student flutes built by Haynes factory in Beijing
• Article about Glissando Headjoint made by Haynes/Eastman invented by Robert Dick