History

From Prehistoric Finds to the Modern Flute


It's fascinating to know that the flute is considered one of the oldest musical instruments. A 19,000-year-old bone flute, carved from the shinbone of a reindeer, was discovered in the vineyards north of Krems an der Donau (Lower Austria).

A 20,000-year-old bone flute found in a cave at Divje Babe (Slovenia).Thilo Parg / License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Renaissance FluteTamie49 / License: CC BY-SA 3.0

During the Renaissance, the transverse flute gradually emerged as an art instrument separate from the transverse pipe. The Renaissance flute was still a single piece. The Baroque traverso was then constructed in three parts (head, body, and footjoint). In the Classical period, the flute acquired additional keys.

Traverso fluteAviad2001 / License: CC BY 2.5"

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