When man expresses himself through music: The example of the flute

Barihan Faris Isa
Iraq

People invented musical instruments as a way to express their hidden selves; instruments allow others to hear one’s voice.

The flute may be the most widely known and widely spread musical instrument that man invented to express his emotions and thoughts.

The flute has always been associated with loneliness, and the lonely use the flute to help and comfort them in their solitude. People may have chosen the flute for its simplicity and expressive potential.

Both shepherds and farmers take comfort from listening to and playing the flute while they work.

The flute dates back to the 19th century; it was part of the Romans’ cultural heritage and the symbol of a region in western Rome that is surrounded by mountains.

Historians say that the long flute existed during the time of the original inhabitants of what is now called Rome.

Because the flute is easy to play, it spread quickly and became part of the musical heritage in most areas.

The flute is said to have replaced the hammer that farmers once used to send messages to villagers; farmers would make sounds by hitting pieces of metal with a hammer.

People on mountaintops would play the long flute, using notes as a previously established means of communication.

When people hear the sound of the long flute, they know that something important has happened, and they are alert until they hear another note that signifies that everything is safe again. With different notes for each scenario, long flutes were played to announce a newborn baby or a death, to gather people for the hunt or for work.