The flute belongs to the woodwind family and it is a very interesting instrument. The flute is actually the earliest known musical instrument. It is the oldest instrument of the woodwind family. The earliest flutes were actually made out of wood or bamboo. Flutes were played by many types of people such as hunters, shepherds, and musicians. During the Middle English period the instrument was called the “floute.” The flute originates from Europe where they were found in Germany and France. The modern flute was invented by Theodore Boheem in 1847. During the 16th century is were the flute was at its peak because it was very popular. Originally the flute had only one piece, but then it got three such as the headjoint, body, and the foot joint. Also flutes only had two holes and it did not have any keys in the 16th century. There are many types of flutes such as Indian, Chinese and Japanese flutes. All of these flutes are enjoyed and played all over the world today.
the flute is mostly represented in orchestras and chamber music. It is actually the highest pitched woodwind instrument in the orchestra. In the orchestra the roles of the flute is to play the harmony. The flute is featured in symphonies as well as Eastern music. Some places where the flute is commonly played is China, India, Japan and the U.S. Sometimes the flute can fit in with jazz because of the high notes and it can be in classical music in some occasions. Jeanne Baxtresser, William Bennett and Michael Debrost are three very famous flute players. Jeanne Debost is in the New York Philharmonic and is known for being the solo/principal flute player. She has also written her own book called “Orchestral Experts for the Flute,” which has inspired many. William Bennett is the principal flute player with the London Symphony and he also won the National Flute Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. Michael Debost worked at Oberlin Conservatory of Music as a flute professor. While in the Orchestra de Paris he has been the most important flautist.
On fun fact about the flute is that there are many variations in size like the piccolo, alto, tenor, bass and contrabass flute. Flutes have been made out of many things throughout the years such as bone, wood, ivory, gold and platinum. Three very famous people who played the flute were George Washington, James Madison and Leonardo Da Vinci. The last fact was that the word “flute” was not used until the 14th century.