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The flute is an ancient instrument that has many varieties spread out across the world. But did you know that it is the second oldest instrument, only surpassed by the drum? Today we will concentrate on probably the youngest and best known flute in the western world. The “modern flute.” Here are ten facts about the flute:
1. Oldest Flute is 43,000 to 80,000 years old.
There’s some disagreement amongst archeologists about the oldest flute ever discovered. The two flute artifacts were found in Europe, and were made of bone. One however, is speculated to be anywhere between 43,000 and 80,000 years old.
2. The First Horizontal Flutes
Artwork containing pictures of horizontal flutes proves evidence of them being played across western Europe, Asia, and the Middle East as early as 300 B.C. They would have been made of hollowed out bone or sticks.
3. Flutes Are In the Woodwind Family
Despite the modern flute being made of metal and the oldest flutes being made of bone, flutes are part of the woodwind family. This is because of their long history of being made of wood, and many cultures around the world still use wooden flutes.
4. Transverse Flutes Are the Predecessors to the Modern Flute
There are many varieties of flutes across the world; but they can essentially be categorized into three types. The first are rim-blown flutes, like pan-flutes and other instruments found in countries like Peru, Middle East, China, Japan, and Korea. The second type is the duct flute or fipple flute; where you blow directly into a channel. Examples of the duct flute are the standard whistle, tin whistle, ocarina, and recorder. Finally, there’s the side blown flutes or transverse flutes, which were originally keyless like fifes, but would add keys over time.
5. Flute vs Recorder
The term “flute” was used interchangeably between the transverse flute and recorder in Western Europe. Until 1360 A.D. when Guillaume de Machaut made a distinction between flute and recorder.
6. Flutes in the Military
In 1460, flutes were first introduced to the military and became widespread after the Swiss soldiers used a flute and drum to signal precise movements and defeat the supposedly invincible Burgundian Cavalry. The instrument we recognize as the fife appeared by the end of the 1500’s, but was replaced by the bugle in the 19th century.
7. The Flute Family Expands
The transverse flute is still a keyless instrument in 1529 when it expands to include larger and smaller variations of it, including the descant, alto, tenor, and bass flute. The piccolo would come later.
8. By 1670, Adjustments are Made
Jean Hotteterre and his family took the originally keyless flute and began making adjustments. Which included one key that brought a brand new note and helped with some intonation issues.
9. Quantz’s Influence
Johann Joachim Quantz spent a painstaking amount of years trying to fix the flutes intonation issues. He experimented with the materials, shape, hole sizes, and adding keys with springs to the flute. He developed a flute with four to six keys on it, and although took some time to influence flutists to make the switch, the new, better in-tune flute influenced many composers. In the 1780’s the Meyer-system flute was made; it had eight keys.
10. Theobald Boehm
Boehm was a scientist, a musician, and craftsman who put his skills to the test when he reinvented the mechanical system of the flute in the early 1800’s. Instead of placing holes and keys in comfortable finger positions, he first placed the holes where the notes would be in-tune and then created a mechanism of keys, springs, bars, levers, and pads that would cover the holes and play more comfortably. By 1847, he created what is considered the first modern flute. A slight bit of alterations have been made since then, but Boehm’s design is still the mechanism used in modern flutes today.
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References:
- https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1379&context=honors
- http://fabulousflute.weebly.com/timeline-of-flute-history.html
- http://www.flutehistory.com/Instrument/Military.php3
- https://www.thoughtco.com/types-of-flutes-2455869