Sunday, April 27, 2008

18th century flutist automaton

cool flute link for today:

http://www.automates-anciens.com/english_version/automatons-music-boxes/vaucanson-automatons-androids.php

J.J. Quantz mentions this fellow in his book, critically, in a discussion on how to blow correctly in order to play the higher notes on the instrument (the automaton isn't doing it properly).  Of course, the rest of us are just flabbergasted that somebody created such a machine in the first place, before electricity, microprocessors..

a contemporary version:
http://www.takanishi.mech.waseda.ac.jp/research/flute/index.htm

and the thing in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwialoRrRmU

enjoy, --Lars
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