A flute is a woodwind musical instrument, considered one of the oldest on earth. And indeed, the first flutes, which are not at all like modern ones, appeared very, very long time ago. Until now, in the villages you can meet people who in a few minutes can make a primitive flute from a dry place, as was done thousands of years ago. Flutes were distributed all over the world and bore many different names.
What is unusual?
As a rule, the sound in wind instruments is extracted using a tongue or cane, but not in the case of a flute. In it, music is born from the fact that the air stream is cut in two. In some types of flutes there are whistles arranged exactly like a regular sports whistle, and then it is enough for a flute player to simply give air and play. If there is no whistle, the musician himself must direct the stream of air so that it cuts to the edge. This mechanism is implemented in the transverse orchestra flute, as well as some folk, for example, Japanese (shakuhachi).
Types of Flutes
As a rule, folk flutes were longitudinal, that is, when playing, they were arranged vertically. The whistle was most often present (hence the name of the family of whistles). This may include Irish whistles, Slavic choppers, flutes and ocarins. All of them have their own characteristics, but the recorder is the most complicated in terms of technique. It has a large range compared to the rest, and is not tied to a specific key (for example, whistles can play only one key, and musicians have to change several whistles from song to song).
The recorder has seven holes on the front side and one on the back. In turn, there are varieties of recorders associated with the range: bass, tenor, viola, soprano and sopranino. The technique of playing them is identical, only the system differs and the size of the instrument increases with decreasing range. Until the 18th century, a bluff clute was used in an orchestra, but was replaced by a transverse flute with a loud, bright sound and a large range.
For orchestra
In an orchestral game, as a rule, a transverse flute is used, unless the work performed requires another (for example, plays for a recorder). Its range is more than three octaves, starting from the B small octave and ending with a f-sharp note in the fourth octave. Notes for flute are recorded in a treble clef. The timbre is different: somewhat muffled, whispering in the lower, clear and transparent on average, loud, harsh in the upper ... The transverse flute is a musical instrument that is used in symphony and brass bands, and often in various chamber ensembles. The oldest transverse flute was discovered in the fifth century BC, in one of the tombs in China.
The first major design changes were made in the Baroque era. In the 18th century, transverse flutes of a new design began to compete with the recorders used in orchestras, and then completely replaced them. However, only in the twentieth century did instruments made of metal become widespread.
The flute's melody can be very complex: it is often entrusted with orchestral solos, and many works require a serious performing technique from the flutist. There are several varieties also associated with lowering or raising the register: bass flute, alto, piccolo flute and some other less common. An interesting fact: one of Mozart’s most complex operas is called The Magic Flute.
Straight from greece
There is another species that bears the beautiful name of “syringa”. Siringa (flute) is a musical instrument of the ancient Greeks, closely related to the modern longitudinal flute. She is even mentioned in the Illiad. There were single-barreled and multi-barreled syringes (the latter were later called the Pan Flute). As a rule, this word is translated into Russian as “pipe”. Antique shepherds and peasants brightened up their leisure time by playing on a syring, but also used it for musical accompaniment of various scenic acts.
Pan flute is one of the most unusual folk wind instruments. It is a system of tubes of different lengths, open on one side and closed on the other. This instrument plays only in one key, but the sound is familiar to almost everyone: the famous flute melody “The Lonely Shepherd” is played on Pan's flute.
Other nations
Wind instruments were ubiquitous. In China, there was a transverse di flute, which was made not only from traditional cane and bamboo, but sometimes even from stone, mainly jade.
There is a transverse flute in Ireland, it bears the corresponding name - the Irish flute - and is mainly represented in the "simple system", when the holes (there are six in total) are not closed by valves.
In Latin America, Ken's longitudinal flute is common, in most cases having a G (salt) system.
Russian woodwind flutes are represented by a flute, which can be single-barrel and double-barreled, a nozzle and its version from the Kursk region - fawn.
A simpler tool is Ocarina. It was made mainly of clay and played a large role in the music of ancient China and some other cultures. The oldest specimens of Ocarina found by archaeologists are 12,000 years old.