Divje Babe Flute

Bone flutes are very simple little instruments. Unlike a wooden flute hardly can create a consistent instrument of bone build, because the cavity of the bone is never uniform. The greater part of the bone flutes is designed as a core gap flute or recorder. Here, a Wachspropfen is inserted as a block into the upper end of the bone and contains the embouchure. The air flow is respectively on the labium. Meats shared. Other bone flutes are like flutes blown to the sides.

• 3.1 Stone Age
• 3.2 Middle Ages

History

Stone Age

Bone flutes are the oldest archaeologically proven instruments of mankind. Finds there is already out of the Aurignacian, a culture of the European Palaeolithic. 2009, the discovery of a well-preserved, made ​​from the wing bone of a griffon vulture flute from the " Hohle Fels " in the Swabian Alb was known, which is at least 35,000 years old .. Sometimes is difficult to assess whether the finger holes actually manufactured or bite marks from predators by man are. Also among the oldest finds are three copies of the Geißenklösterle Cave near Blue Beuren, a few kilometers from the Hohle Fels. Especially famous was the first flute found there, which was made ​​from the radius of a singing swan. Recently, mammoth ivory pieces were taped together to form a flute, which had at least three finger holes.

Metal Age and Roman era

From this long period are surprisingly no bone flutes.

Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages flutes occurred from shins ( tibia ) of sheep most commonly. The number of finger holes for the fingers varied: usually three or four holes, rarely two, five or six holes, some of them also with thumb hole. There were also flutes from bird bones. Among the earliest medieval finds are flutes from the Carolingian monastery Müstair ( Switzerland, Canton of Grisons ) and from the northern German settlements Hedeby and Schleswig. A surprising number of finds come from castles.

Production

The best location is a straight line if possible long bones, such as shin bone ( tibia ) of young sheep or bones of birds. When macerated bone removed one or both articular ends you. After you drill the holes. The top, which divides the air stream, called the labium or cold cuts. Then follow as desired a thumb hole on the back and handle holes for the fingers on the front. To the upper end of the flute is given to a plug of beeswax as a mouthpiece, which must be in the air duct cut.

Play

Because of differences in bone cross- sectional area and length are no laws for the construction of a coherent instrument can be derived. The very deliberately chosen small number of finger holes in medieval specimens shows that in contrast to wooden flutes, the construction of a versatile instrument was not intended.

Stone Age

Melodies from the Stone Age are naturally not known. Friedrich Seeberger, a specialist in the reconstruction of archaeological Music, conducted experiments with modern replicas of Stone Age flutes. With the simple instruments can play remarkably varied music.

Middle Ages

Also for this period are missing traditional melodies information about the play and about who ever played on these "simple" instruments. The at least in Switzerland comparatively numerous finds on castles could serve as an indication of a particularly neat there such tradition; either through the castle nobility or by herdsmen who tended the cattle burg own. Shepherds preferred simple tunes such as, but the phrase " Pastorale " (Italian: Shepherd's Song ) shows in the Christmas concert by Arcangelo Corelli. Also traveling musicians come as a player on bone flutes into consideration. On mehrlochigen instruments a skilled musician with fork handles, half cover the holes and Überblastechnik could well be the best melodies. Overall, however, the drilling of the wells had no system, accordingly, they also sound: only rarely results in a scale, mostly inconsistent in itself.