Pool of Tears

This is a quintessential trio to mark early July, spontaneously scored for Rain, antique 6-keyed Piccolo and Thunder.

‘Franken-flute‘ was the other title I had in mind for this post, but somehow Pool of Tears just seems too perfect! This poor flute, with 2 of its 6 keys gummed up from sitting in a trunk, forgotten in someone’s attic, emerged from my collection of world flutes like Frankenstein from the slab, re-animated by this exquisite summer storm.

If only these period instruments could tell stories - I’m convinced this one saw the pit of the Paris Opera-Comique! Silenced for decades, this antique wooden, French-made Piccolo upon being given the opportunity, quite audibly falls into dialogue with the sheets of rain, as well as with the periodic rumbles of thunder which punctuate her phrase-lengths.

The flute is inextricably linked with the majority of world cultures and predates written history. One could even say that it virtually was there on the shores of the Primordial Sea from which we all emerge. The myth of Syrinx - transformed as she was into hollow reeds which were then animated hauntingly with Pan’s breath - underscores this profound history of the flute in human culture.

In fact, the ancient indigenous legends here in North America regarding Kokopelli and his cavorting at rivers edge with maidens just downstream almost makes one think that there was a Pangaea of human consciousness linking all cultures at one time, if not indeed still today.

For the record, while we are peering back through the mists of time, the oldest instrument ever found was, yes, a flute, 50,000 years old, found by a Canadian in what is believed to be a Neanderthal encampment in Eastern Europe. This is old news now, so to speak, but still no less incredible than when it first broke. I would like to think that Canadian Geographic would have it’s original article on-line…just had a look, and there are some interesting looking music-related articles there, but not what I’m looking for, so here is another link to the Neanderthal Bone Flute.

Ancient history of another variety: what ever happened to Edgar Winter?