Georges Barrère (1876-1944) holds a preeminent place in the history of American flute playing. Best known for two of the landmark works that were written for him—the Poem of Charles Tomlinson Griffes and Density 21.5 by Edgard Varèse—he was the most prominent early exemplar of the Paris Conservatoire tradition in the United States and set a new standard for American woodwind performance.

Barrère's story is a musical tale of two cities, and this book uses his life as a window onto musical life...