Flutes

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There are two major types of flutes, the end-blown flutes and side-blown or transverse flutes. The end-blown flutes are simple tubes with a sharp edge or notch or, as in the case of recorders and whistles, they may have an inserted block. Side-blown flutes produce their sound from blowing onto a sharp edge, causing air enclosed in a tube to vibrate.

Use of the side-blown flute in Europe was sporadic until the later Middle Ages. Then it was cultivated chiefly by the minnesingers in Germany. Narrow-bored flutes (fifes) became common as military instruments and one-handed, narrow-bored pipes played together with small drums (called Pipe and Tabor) were use to accompany dancing in southern France and northern Spain. They were common instruments during the Renaissance.

The Renaissance flute is a plain cylindrical boxwood pipe with six fingerholes and no thumbhole. It has no key and no head cap. There are three principal sizes corresponding to the treble, tenor and bass recorders of the sixteenth century.

Elizabeth on the Flute
For the Mac (AIFF) 73K or (SND) 73K
For the PC (WAV) 73K

For the Unix (AU) 73K
RealAudio (RA) 15K



(Photo and original sound file ocurtesy of Jim Hill at website Lark in the Morning - see credits)

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You may want to visit the following outside of Virtual Renaissance:

Mark Shepherd's Flute Page

http://www.markshep.com/flute/index.html

Get some tips on how to approach learning the modern flute. Go through an online tutorial in eight lessons on how to play a simple folk flute of bamboo, clay, wood, or other material. Get the plans for making your own "shepherd's pipe" from PVC pipe sold in most hardware stores.

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References:

Academic American Encyclopedia, Grolier Incorporated, Danbury, Connecticut, 1994.

Baines, Anthony. European & American Musical Instruments. Viking Press, New York, 1966.

Buchner, Dr. Alexander (translated by Iris Urwin). Musical Instruments Through the Ages. Batchworth Press Limited, London, England, 1961.

Hill, Jim. "Lark in the Morning". http://www.larkinam.com/ (20 June 1996)

Hindley, Geoffrey (ed.). The Larousse Encyclopedia of Music. Excalibur Books, New York, 1982.

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