Eunuch flute

Eunuch flute (Fr.: flûte-eunuque), mirliton described by Mersenne (in 1636) as having one open, bell-like end, the other being closed by a membrane protected by a removable cap. The player spoke or sang into an aperture close to the membrane. Nowadays the instr. is made only as a toy. See also: onion flute (89, 140). Sort by:DefaultTitleDateAuthorAscendingDescending Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th edition. London, 1954. Mersenne, Marin. Harmonie universelle. Paris, 1636; and…