Contributions to the History of the Right Flute Until 1500

Abstract

This article proposes a discussion about the origin of the flute, an ancestor instrument: some kind of the ancient aulos of Greece and syrinx, which were perceived in Europe through the Byzantine culture. Curt Sachs suggests, as a possible source, Asia; according to his theory, the instrument appears in Europe coming from North Africa and Spain. In these territories, there is an instrument very similar to the right flute, known as Šabbăba in North Africa and Ajabeba in Spain.