Longfellow said "Music is the universal language of mankind." [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Outre-Mer]

Flutes can be found in almost all cultures from as early as 35,000 years ago.

All flutes are hollow tubes without a reed. Some are held upright (end blown) and others held crosswise so the musician blows air across a hole. Musicians create sound when their breath hits the rim of the hole or the baffle inside.

Bone Flute
Peru
pre-Columbian

Native Peruvians made this flute from a human rib bone, sometime prior to their first contact with Europeans in 1532.

Silver Flute
Boliva
Circa 1700

The motif on this Bolivian flute mimics the patterns on Incan ceremonial flutes.

Silver Flute
United States
19th century

This flute has an extended mouthpiece.

Ivory & Wood Flute
H.F. Meyer
Hannover, Germany
Late 19th-early 20th centuries

The modern flute descends from mid-19th century innovations by the Bavarian goldsmith, Theobald Boehm.  

Brass Flute
Chad
1973

Traditional African flute made of brass, leather and cowrie shells.

Khaen
Thailand

A khaen flute player holds the bamboo pipes upright and blows into the mouthpiece, while fingering the holes.