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Jun 28, 2024 · The first musicians developed instruments that evolved substantially over time. Some instruments, however, stood the test of time and continue to be used in various forms today. In this post, we’re going to take a look at 19 of the oldest instruments in the world, with histories dating back to ancient civilizations and cultures.
- Geisenklösterle Flutes. Age: 42,000 – 43,000 years old. Country of Origin: Geisenklösterle Cave, Blaubeuren, Germany. Material(s) Used: Mute Swan bone and Mammoth Ivory.
- Divje Babe Flute. Age: 43,100 years old. Country of Origin: Cerkno, Slovenia. Material(s) Used: Cave Bear Femur. photo source: Wikimedia Commons. Prior to the discovery of older bone flutes, the Divje Babe Flute was considered the oldest example of a musical instrument ever found in the world.
- Hohle Fels Flute. Age: 35,000 – 40,000 years old. Country of Origin: Hohle Fels Cave, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Material(s) Used: Griffon Vulture Bone. photo source: Wikimedia Commons.
- Isturitz Flutes. Age: 20,000 – 35,000 years old. Country of Origin: Isturitz Cave, France. Material(s) Used: Vulture Wing Bones. photo source: Flutopedia. The flutes found at the Isturitz archaeological site in southwestern France range in age from about 20,000 to 35,000 years old.
May 25, 2012 · Researchers have identified what they say are the oldest-known musical instruments in the world. The flutes, made from bird bone and mammoth ivory, come from a cave in southern Germany which...
- Mary Bellis
- Accordion. An accordion is an instrument that uses reeds and air to create sound. Reeds are thin strips of material that air passes over to vibrate, which in turn creates a sound.
- Conductor's Baton. In the 1820s, Louis Spohr introduced the conductor's baton. A baton, which is the French word for "stick," is used by conductors primarily to enlarge and enhance the manual and bodily movements associated with directing an ensemble of musicians.
- Bell. Bells may be categorized as idiophones, or instruments sounding by the vibration of resonant solid material, and more broadly as percussion instruments.
- Clarinet. The clarinet's predecessor was the chalumeau, the first true single reed instrument. Johann Christoph Denner, a famous German woodwind instrument maker of the Baroque era, is credited as the inventor of the clarinet.
3 days ago · Some scholars have speculated that the first instruments were derived from such utilitarian objects as cooking pots (drums) and hunting bows (musical bows); others have argued that instruments of music might well have preceded pots and bows; while in the myths of cultures throughout the world the origin of music has frequently been attributed ...
The exact date and specific origin of the first device considered a musical instrument, is widely disputed. The oldest object identified by scholars as a musical instrument, is a simple flute, dated back 50,000–60,000 years. Many scholars date early flutes to about 40,000 years ago.
Timeline. 41000 BCE - 32768 BCE. First known musical instrument, a bone flute (found in modern-day Germany). c. 5000 BCE. The first aulos musical instruments are carved from bone. 2700 BCE - 2300 BCE. The first depiction in art of the aulos musical instrument appears in Cycladic sculpture. 2000 BCE.
