Latin has a word for an early flute made of an alternative material: 'tibia'. It is no accident that this is also the word for the shinbone. Less likely than wood to split or break, bone was an ideal medium for shaping and perforating early flutes. By at least 5,000 years ago it had become an artform, and the recorder is a direct descendant of these early experiments.

    The crossflute (held across the mouth rather than vertically) was in existence in China by at least 3,000 years ago and was known in pre-dynastic Egypt; it evolved into the modern orchestral flute through a series of developments and refinements undertaken during a long period of folk use until it entered the orchestra in France in 1681. Within two decades it became widely accepted as a chamber instrument, and concertos began to appear during the 1720s. However, even with the popularity created by King Frederick the Great of Prussia's enthusiasm for the instrument, it was still relatively unsophisticated.

     The German jeweler and flautist Theobald Boehm (1794-1881) completely rethought flute design, working from basic acoustic principles. Between 1832 and 1847 he repositioned and greatly enlarged the finger holes and constructed an entirely new key system. Although Boehm's revolutionary reconstructions were slow to achieve adoption in his home country, they are now accepted worldwide.

Article from: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Classical Music
General Editor: Robert Ainsley
Published by Carlton Books Limited, 1995