Whether you’re an experienced flutist or a beginner just starting out, there is always more you can learn about your instrument. Did you know, for example, that the flute is one of the oldest instruments in the world?
Exploring the rich history, development, and other facts of the flute can deepen your appreciation for this beautiful-sounding instrument.
In this post, we’ll take you through some fantastic fun facts about the flute family. This could be a great starting point for further reading, or simply a chance to learn a few interesting facts. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
1. The Flute Is “Probably” The Oldest Instrument In The World!
What a statement, but as far as historians can tell, the flute is probably the oldest instrument in the world.
In 1995, an artifact was found at the Divje Babe archaeological site in Slovenia that experts believe is a flute played by Neanderthals.
It’s believed to be made from a cave bear’s femur bone, which had been carved with tone holes. This ancient instrument is estimated to be around 50,000 to 60,000 years old!
Read more about the history of the flute here.
2. It’s Not A “Great Look”
The flute is mentioned in many Greek myths, including one that tells the story of the flute’s “invention” by the goddess Athena.
When Athena “played the flute with all her might,” her face apparently contorted and her beauty was marred, so she threw away the flute she had made. A drastic solution for sure!
3. It Was Good Enough For The Gods
In contrast to the views of the Ancient Greeks, Hindus believed that the flute had spiritual powers and compared it to the deity.
Their god, Krishna, is frequently depicted playing a flute, and it is believed that the sound of his flutes brought young ladies out to dance with him!
4. It Hasn’t Always Been This Way
The modern concert flute has an intricate mechanism of keys, pads, and springs; but in ancient times, the flute was made of bone or wood and consisted merely of a tube with holes in it.
From a cave bear’s femur bone to the ones we know now, the flute has certainly come a long way since then!
5. It’s Not Just Any Old Shiny Metal
We have Theobald Boehm, a great 19th-century flute maker, to thank for the many changes in flute design. He created the modern key mechanism and improved the instrument’s tuning. Boehm used high-quality German silver for his flutes because he believed it had the best sound.
Today, flutes are made from precious metals like nickel, silver-plating, solid silver, gold, and even platinum; and their prices reflect these materials. Historically, flutes were made from bone and wood, and now there are even plastic versions for young players to get started.
6. Flute Or Recorder?
The flute is closely related to the recorder, but the instrument we usually call a flute is in fact a transverse flute, held across the body.
The instrument we think of as a recorder is also a flute, but it is held in front of the body and blown using a mouthpiece.
They seem worlds apart, yet their origins are common and the term flute was used to mean both types of instrument, right up until around the 17th century.
7. There Are Many Types Of Flutes
Did you know that the concert flute is part of a family of instruments? Throughout history, flutes have been made in different sizes to play in various keys.
Today, while the flute is fully chromatic, different sizes still exist to cover a wider range of pitches. The main ones are the bass flute, alto flute, and piccolo, along with the contrabass and sub-contrabass flutes.
The piccolo and concert flute are regular members of the modern symphony orchestra, with the alto flute making occasional appearances. Bass and contrabass flutes are usually found in flute choirs, and they produce a rich and diverse sound.
8. There Are Lots Of Famous Flute Players
People who play the flute are also called flautists, flutists, flutenists, and even flutterers.
The famous flute player James Galway also became widely known as “the man with the golden flute” because, back in the 1970s, gold flutes were rare and his instrument was rumored to be worth over 4,000 pounds!
Other famous “flutterers” you might have heard of are Henry VIII, Halle Berry, Alanis Morissette, Gwen Stefani, Tina Fey, Leonardi Da Vinci, President George Washington, and President James Madison.
9. It Is Played The World Over
The flute is an instrument that is played across the world, from Canada to Argentina and from Australia to northern Siberia. It was even once played on Antarctica back in the 1970s!
These flutes vary widely across the world, including transverse flutes like the Irish flute and front-held flutes like the Japanese shakuhachi and Native American flute.
There are also pan flutes from Greece, the Americas, Africa, Thailand, the Pacific; and bamboo flutes such as the Chinese dizi and the bansuri from South Asia.
10. It Is Truly Unique Instrument
The flute is a unique instrument for many reasons. It is the only member of the woodwind family that is not usually wooden, and it does not have a reed.
It is also the only instrument that is held sideways and blown without a mouthpiece. The sound on a flute is created by blowing across the hole, not down it, requiring considerable skill by the performer.
For this reason, many flutists claim it is more difficult to play than other wind instruments, but this is most definitely a matter for debate!
11. It Is A Versatile Instrument
Western classical music is just the tip of the iceberg for the flute. It also features in jazz, pop, folk, and world music, and in films as both a solo instrument and as part of small and large ensembles.
The flute is truly versatile, whether soaring above the orchestra in a romantic symphony, playing in a marching band, or soloing at Ronnie Scott’s.
Unlike many instruments, it can be packed into a compact case and easily transported, making it an ideal choice for the traveling musician.
12. There Are Record-Breaking Flutes And Flutists
There have been a couple of truly amazing world records involving the flute in recent years. In December 2014, Jay Bhayani, Charunsudan Atri and Bharat Sinh Parmar created the largest flute ever.
The instrument is 3.63 meters long and was used to play the Indian National Anthem at a public event.
In March 2024, it was Naitik Khambhadiya’s turn to set a record. He played the flute without stopping for a staggering 30 hours, 30 minutes, and 30 seconds!
Summing Up Facts About The Flute
There are so many amazing facts about the flute, but the above are definitely our favorites.
What other instrument can claim to be the oldest in the world, truly international, versatile, portable, beautiful, unique, and even a record breaker?
To all of you “flutterers” out there, we hope you have enjoyed reading these fascinating facts, and let us know if you have any others.