How the flûte d'amour makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the flûte d'amour belongs to the flutes (edge-blown): an air jet is split on a sharp edge, setting the air column vibrating – flutes, recorders, whistles and panpipes.
More broadly it is one of the aerophones (wind instruments), where sound comes from vibrating air.
Players shape its sound through technique and materials; the resonating body filters the raw vibration, boosting some harmonics and damping others.
From Wikipedia
The flûte d'amour, sometimes called a Mezzo-Soprano flute (French: flûte ténor; Italian: flauto tenore; German: Tenorflöte), is an uncommon member of the Western concert flute family, pitched in A♭, A, or B♭ and is intermediate in size between the modern C concert flute and the alto flute in G.
It is 100–205 mm (4–8 in) longer than the concert flute and plays either a major second, minor third, or major third below the standard C flute. A number of these instruments have survived. Apart from their length, they do not differ in any way from the concert flute; the bore diameter and embouchure are identical.
Other flutes
Frequently asked questions
What does a flûte d'amour sound like?
As one of the flutes, its sound comes from the way an air jet is split on a sharp edge, setting the air column vibrating.
What type of instrument is the flûte d'amour?
It is classified as flutes (edge-blown) (Hornbostel–Sachs 421.121.12).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q1445673 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Flûte d'amour – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Powerhouse Museum – CC BY-SA 2.5