Musical Instrument: Flute
This surprisingly virtuoso instrument, with a light, airy, “fluttering” sound, resembling the singing of birds, belongs to the group of wooden wind instruments. According to ancient Greek myths, his invention was due to the son of Hephaestus - Ardal. Perhaps no other instrument has undergone such transformations and improvements. Initially, there were two varieties - transverse and longitudinal, but later, the first version supplanted the longitudinal and took a worthy place in the orchestra. These two species are very different from each other, not only in appearance but also in the way of sound production.
Read the history of the flute and many interesting facts about this musical instrument on our page.
Sound
The sound of a flute is reminiscent of magic. Amazingly beautiful sounds are born in the middle register - unusually clear, clear and transparent. Not without reason flute has a special place in folklore and fairy tales of many nations, it is often endowed with mystical properties. The melodic sound of a flute in the hands of an experienced musician can not only give aesthetic pleasure, but also simply bewitch with its expressive and penetrating music that seems to fall right in our hearts. The soft and melodic sound of the flute can delight our ears, soften the heart, and cause the kindest and lightest feelings.
A flute or a simple pipe, as a rule, becomes one of the very first musical instruments that children may encounter, and even are able to make it independently from improvised objects of a suitable form.
It is worth saying a few words about the characteristics of the sound of the flute.
The lower case is distinguished by a slight deafness, but one can not help noticing its softness, cordiality and soulfulness, and the upper row of notes sounds shrill, with a sharp whine.
The peculiarity of the flute acoustics is that when playing the piano, the pitch of the sound decreases slightly, and playing the forte boosts the sound.
The nature of the height of the sounds can be changed by adjusting the force of the air jet on the exhale, and of course with the help of the mechanism of valves that close the holes on the instrument.
Flute range occupies a gap from the note "To" the first to the note "To" of the fourth octave.
A photo
Interesting Facts
- The sample of the largest transverse flute is the instrument created by the Indian master Bharat Sin in Jamnagar in 2014. The length of this flute was 3.62 m. With her participation, the national anthem was played.
- Flutes are made from more than a hundred different materials, including bone, wood, metal, glass, there are flutes made of crystal, plastic, and others. There is even a chocolate flute on which to play music.
- The title of the most expensive flute according to the Forbes rating belongs to the instrument created by Powell in 1939. This platinum flute is now estimated at 600 thousand dollars.
- The largest number of flutists in the ensemble of 3,742 participants gathered in Japan on July 31, 2011 at the solemn celebration of 400 years of Hirosaki Castle.
- The longest continuous flutist performance lasted 25 hours and 48 minutes and was reached by Catherine Brookes in Bedworth, United Kingdom, February 17-18, 2012. Catherine repeated the 6-hour program several times, containing 92 different pieces, from classical to contemporary music styles.
- The flute is the only orchestral instrument on which air is blown across the holes. And you should know that the flutist spends much more air than on any other wind instruments, including such a large-sized one, like a tube.
- The oldest flute was discovered in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 1998. A musical instrument made from the bones of a cave bear contains four holes. Paleontologists believe that this flute is 43,000 - 82,000 years old.
- There are 30 types of flute, which are produced almost in fifty countries of the world.
- Outstanding personalities played the flute. Leonardo Da Vinci, John II, Martin Luther, Emperor Nicholas I, Enrico Caruso, Woody Allen, M. Glinka, and many others.
- It is known that an entire collection of flutes was assembled at the court of English king Henry the Eighth V - 72 pcs.
- US President C. Cleveland highly appreciated his crystal flute with golden elements.
- In Vietnam, in the mountain district of Ienth, during the rebel peasant movement, the flute was used not only as a musical instrument, but also as a melee weapon. They gave alarms and simultaneously killed enemies.
- According to the researchers, flute lessons have a positive effect on children's intellectual development, immunity, and have a preventive effect on respiratory diseases.
- The main deity of Hinduism, Krishna, is depicted with a bamboo flute. It was said that Krishna created the world through the beautiful sound of a flute, which also preaches love and freedom.
Design
Transverse flute is an oblong cylindrical tube having a valve system that covers 16 holes. One end of it is closed, there is a hole on it, where lips are put in for blowing in air. Modern types of flutes include a three-part structure: head, body and knee. Unlike other instruments of the wind type, the sound of the flute is formed due to the directional air flow to the edge of the labial plate. A huge role in the proper technique of the game belongs to the shape of the lips or the "embouchure". Subtly change the sound of the instrument by changing the degree of tension and shape of the lips.
The overall pitch index is changed by pushing the head out of the instrument body; the more the head is extended, the lower the sound will be.
Average flute weight - 600 grams.
Modern big flute concert is 67 cm in lengthand the length of piccolo is only about 32 cm.
Flute Types
The transverse flute, besides the main big concert, has three main varieties: flute piccolo, alto and bass.
Flute piccolo is the most sounding instrument among the wind instruments. The structure is the same as that of a large flute, the difference lies in size - it is two times shorter than the ordinary one and sounds an octave higher. The harshness of the piccolo flute overlaps the sound of an entire orchestra with ease. In the opera production of Rimsky-Korsakov "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" she is given the theme of squirrel, snapping nuts. In the 1st act of Bizet’s “Carmen” piece, a pair of piccolos formed a company of a boys ’choir, boldly advancing upon the formation of soldiers.
Alto flute. They resemble an ordinary concert flute, but somewhat larger in size and with a different structure of the valve system. The range is from the "salt" of the small octave to the "re" of the third octave.
Bass Flute - in the range from the "C" of the big octave to the "F" of the second octave
It should be mentioned, and much more rarely used samples - d'Amour, double bass, Octabas and hyper bass.
Popular works:
I. Bach - Scherzo (Joke) from suite for flute and string orchestra No. 2 (listen)
V.A. Mozart - Concerto for flute and orchestra in G major (listen)
J. Iber - Concerto for flute and orchestra Allegro scherzando (listen)
Application and Repertoire
The expressiveness of the flute attracted the attention of the greatest composers.
A. Vivaldi wrote 13 concertos for flute and orchestra. I.S. Bach, who knows well the technical possibilities, composed a great number of works with the flute, his sonatas are especially beautiful, and the sparkling "Joke" and the unusually touching "Siciliana" do not leave the music lovers of the whole world indifferent. The masterpieces of flute repertoires include works by GF. Handel, K.V. Gluck, I. Haydn, V.A. Mozart, L.V. Beethoven. Charming "Melody" - the most popular solo in the opera "Orpheus and Eurydice" demonstrated the sensually-expressive aspect of flutes. The flute gained a significant place in the solo instrument in the works of V.А. Mozart The real understanding of timbre and virtuoso opportunities revealed L. Beethoven in his own way having introduced it into the symphony orchestra, an example is the overture to the opera "Leonora".
The age of romanticism was also marked by the development of the performance of the flute. During this period, the flutist repertoire was enriched with masterpieces of such masters as K.M. Weber, F. Schubert, D. Rossini, G. Berlioz, C. Saint-Saens.
In jazz, one of the first to use flute was drummer and jazz band leader Chick Webb in the late 1930s. Frank Wess was among the first notable jazz flutists in the 1940s.
Jethro Tull is probably the most famous rock band regularly using the flute, played by band leader Ian Anderson. The alto flute can be heard in the Beatles song, “You've Got to Hide Your Love Away” (You have to hide your love) played by John Scott. Also in the song "Penny Lane".
Game tricks
When playing the flute, a variety of techniques are used. Frequently, musicians use double and triple staccato and a very effective frulato technique, which was first used in the symphony-poem "Don Quixote" by R. Strauss. Further on, the ingenuity of the flutist performers had no limits:
Multiphonics - two or more sounds are simultaneously extracted.
Whistle tones - quiet loud whistle.
Tangram sounds similar to clapping with the palms.
Jet whistle - jet whistle.
Knocking valves, playing a thorn without sound, sounds are extracted at the same time as singing and a variety of other techniques.
Story
The history of the flute takes us to primitive time. It all started with the pipes, which at first whistled. Now they are called simply pipes that can be made from any suitable object, for example, a pen or a cocktail tube. Then people guessed that if you cut holes in the tubes that you can cover with your fingers, then you can perform more complex musical compositions — numerous chants and melodies.
Flute in its functions is very diverse. Initially, she was a tool from the arsenal of shepherds who managed animals with her help, and then her status rose to such an extent that she took part in spiritual rites.
Samples of the flute of the transverse type appeared a long time ago, in ancient China, in the 9th century BC, then in India, Japan, Byzantium. In Europe, it spread only in the Middle Ages and arrived from the East. In the 17th century, which gained great popularity, the flute was modified by the French master J. Otteter, after which it began to occupy decent positions in instrumental ensembles and opera orchestras.
We owe the modern look of the flute to the German master and composer T. Bem, who lived in the 19th century. He complements the flute with a system of valves and rings, placed large holes for the fingers according to acoustic principles, and also began to use metal in the production, which made it possible to enhance the brilliance of the sound of the flute. Since that time, this tool almost does not change, and it is difficult to add something truly original to a laconic musical instrument that can bring new features to a familiar form.
For all its apparent simplicity, the flute has not only a rich and glorious history, but also has a uniquely wide range of uses. This is probably due to the fact that it belongs to one of the most ancient, if not the most ancient instruments, with the help of which our primeval ancestors tried to create music tens of thousands of years ago. Since the Stone Age, the flute begins to win the hearts of people, enchanting us with its soulful and exciting sound, which is given not only in the heart, but also in the most deeply hidden genes inherited from our distant ancestors. A modest wooden or bone flute, lovingly carved by a master, is capable of creating a whole unique universe filled with continuous amazing sound that you want to listen endlessly.
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