There are many different types of flutes, all of which are part of The Woodwind Family.
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The Flute is one of history╒s oldest musical instruments. Its origin dates back to ancient times, when people discovered they could make beautiful sounds by blowing into shells, or into tubes made out of reed, bark or animal horns.
The first actual flute-like instruments originated in China over 20,000 years ago, and in Europe over 10,000 years ago.
One of the earliest flutes capable of playing an actual melody was the Panpipe. Panpipes, named after the Greek god Pan, were played by shepherds in ancient Greece as they tended their flocks.
The panpipe consists of a series of individual pipes (or tubes) tied together. Short pipes produce higher tones, longer pipes produce lower tones. By combining several lengths of pipes together in a row, the panpipe player can play different notes to produce a melody.
Around 2,000 years ago, flute players added a series of holes to the pipe, which were covered or uncovered by the fingers. These flutes represented a great technical advancement over the panpipes. Why? Well, the addition of these toneholes to the pipe let flutists, in a sense, lengthen or shorten the tube themselves.
With the panpipes it had taken a different pipe to produce each pitch. Now, a player could play many notes on the same pipe. Much easier on the lips! And, the addition of these toneholes give the flutist much greater ability to play more complicated melodies.
By the 16th and 17th centuries, flutes╤and flutists╤had continued to develop throughout the world. The flute had become one of the most popular and most commonly played instruments in many different cultures.
In Europe, brilliant composers like Johann Sebastian Bach were writing extraordinary music for a type of simple flute known as The Recorder.
The music of Bach, and other composers of the period, is still played today by musicians the world over, on both modern instruments and recreations of these early, simple flutes.
As the flute developed over the next few centuries, the instrument was constantly improved upon. For example, modern flutists blow into a hole in the side of the mouthpiece to produce a tone, and hold the flute horizontally. This is called a transverse flute. This contrasts with the early flute, where players blew into the end of a mouthpiece (like the recorder) and held it in front of them. This is called an endblown flute.
Also, a network of keys developed over the years, rather than just finger holes, which greatly improved flutists╒ abilities to play more difficult music.
The most significant technical improvements came from the work of a German flutist and goldsmith by the name of Theobald Boehm, whose innovations allowed the flute to play more smoothly and evenly across its entire three-octave range. It╒s a great tribute to Boehm that since the time he finalized his improvements in 1847, the design of the flute has basically remained the same, all the way to today╒s modern instruments.
And today╒s modern flutes come in several sizes. Like the panpipes, smaller flutes produce higher tones, larger flutes lower ones.
The flute we most commonly see╤and hear╤today is known simply as that╤The Flute. (It is actually The Soprano Flute.) The flute is one of the most expressive musical instruments, and is capable of producing beautiful, soft tones╤or brilliantly exciting runs and trills, like ╥The Bird╙ solos in Peter and The Wolf. Because of its tremendous diversity, composers often turn to the flute for solo passages of all styles and emotions, ranging from quiet and poetic expressive themes to wildly exciting fast passages.
The flute is also very versatile, and finds itself equally at home in all kinds of music, whether it be Classical, jazz, folk or whatever!
The smallest flute is called The Piccolo. (Piccolo means ╥little╙ in Italian.) This tiny instrument is only about 12 inches long, and produces very high and shrill notes. Because of its very focused tone and loud volume, a single piccolo, despite its small size, can easily be heard cutting through the huge sound of an entire symphony orchestra.
The piccolo plays an important role in producing sparkling, exciting musical colors in everything from John Philip Sousa marches to symphony orchestra compositions.
The biggest╤and lowest╤flutes are The Alto Flute and The Bass Flute, both invented in the late 19th century. And returning full circle to the panpipes back in ancient Greece, these flutes play lower tones because they are longer.
The bass flute is so long, in fact, that a player (unless a giant or an L.A. Laker) wouldn╒t be able to reach the end of it if it were constructed in a straight line. Because of this, the bass flute has an extra bend in its body╤a crook in its neck╤so that its size is manageable╤and less than an arm╒s reach!
Flutes have had one of the most remarkable and colorful histories of all the instruments in the orchestra, and over the past 20,000 years, flutists of all kinds╤imperial musicians in 15,000 B.C. China, shepherds on the pastoral rolling hills of ancient Greece, royal court musicians in 19th century Munich, members of a modern symphony orchestra, or you, right in your own room╤have turned to flutes to create and perform some of music╒s most expressive and memorable melodies.
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The Bird in Peter and The Wolf is one of the most exciting flute solos around! If you want to hear some great flute music, here╒s a short list of some of my favorite recordings. These are only a few selections out of the huge volume of flute music on CD and tape╤use your imagination and find more!
╤ George Daugherty
FLUTE
Bach, J.S.: Orchestral Suite No. 2
Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3 (solo)
Bizet: Carmen Fantasy
Bizet: Intermezzo and Danse Boheme from Carmen
Brahms: Symphony No. 1, (Movement Four)
Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Gluck: Dance of the Blessed Spirits from Orpheus and
Eurydice
Mozart: Concerto for Flute and Harp
Mozart: Flute Concertos in G Major and D Major
Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (as part of the orchestra
throughout)
Ravel: Introduction and Allegro
Saint-Saæns: ╥Aviary╙ from Carnival of the Animals
Stravinsky: Octet
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (╥Chinese╙ and ╥Reedpipes╙)
Tchaikovsky: Sleeping Beauty (╥The Bluebird╙ Pas de Deux)
and as part of the orchestra throughout
Solo Albums by James Galway or Jean-Pierre Rampal
PICCOLO
Bizet: La Garde Montante from Carmen
Britten: The Young Person╒s Guide to the Orchestra
Sousa: The Stars and Stripes Forever
ALTO FLUTE
Lloyd Webber: Requiem
Ravel: Daphnis and Chloe
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring
BASS FLUTE
Stalling: Jumpin╒ Jupiter from ╥Bugs Bunny On Broadway╙
