flute

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Arts & Culture

flute

musical instrument

Also known as: Flöte, concert flute, flûte

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Category: Arts & Culture

French:: flûte

German:: Flöte

Key People:: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Claude Debussy; James Galway; Edgard Varèse; Francesco Landini

Related Topics:: xiao; vessel flute; end-blown flute; cross flute; true flute

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flute, wind instrument in which the sound is produced by a stream of air directed against a sharp edge, upon which the air breaks up into eddies that alternate regularly above and below the edge, setting into vibration the air enclosed in the flute. In vertical, end-vibrated flutes—such as the Balkan kaval, the Arabic nāy, and panpipes—the player holds the pipe end to his mouth, directing his breath against the opposite edge. In China, South America, Africa, and elsewhere, a notch may be cut in the edge to facilitate sound generation (notched flutes). Vertical nose flutes are also found, especially ...(100 of 820 words)

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