|
The
ocarina can be generally
described as a "globular flute",
or a "vessel flute". The
instrument has been around for
over 10,000 years, though it has
only been called an "ocarina"
since the modern version was
invented in 1853. Now, any
vessel flute instrument is
called an ocarina. Ocarinas have
been excavated across the world
in many different shapes and
sizes. The earliest ocarina
found belonged to the Mayan
civilization - it was
tortoise-shaped and thought to
have been used for ceremonial
purposes.
|
 |
A
tortoise-shaped ocarina
although not the aforesaid
Mayan one. |
The
ocarina made famous by Ocarina of Time
is called the Budrio Ocarina, which was
invented by an Italian musician
named Giuseppe Donati in 1853.
His ocarina had ten holes and
looked like a goose with its head
cut off, so it was titled the Italian name for
‘little goose’. It was around about time that the
first ocarina orchestra was formed,
made up of seven people playing
different types of ocarina.
Playing an ocarina is quite
simple. Have you ever blown across
the top of a bottle and made that quiet foghorn sound? Well, that’s how
you play an ocarina, only you can cover the some of the holes on
it to make different sounds.
 |
This diagram shows how some
air travels across the hole,
while some goes into it.
The mouthpiece varies from
ocarina to ocarina. Most
types have mouthpieces
similar to that of a flute. |
Ocarinas have been made from all different
materials such as bone, metal,
gourds, seedpods, clay, plastic,
wood, antler, cardboard, quartz,
ivory, fruit shells and stone.
|
Ocarinas Made From
Different Material |
Ocarinas
first appeared in Britain around
1300 and were called Gemshorns as
they were
made from the horns of the Gem
goat. It wasn’t until the start
of the 20th century
that the ocarina (the Budrio
Ocarina) became popular in the
United States. It was known as the
Sweet-Potato ocarina because of
its shape and the sound it made
(that is, a sweet sound, not a
potato sound). In 1928 a company
called Akita Ocarina made them
popular in Japan. They're mostly used for teaching music to
children in schools in the same
way we teach children using
recorders.
|
 |
A Gemshorn Ocarina |
More recently, ocarinas have become more popular
through many countries. During
the sixties an English
mathematician invented the 4-hole
ocarina, which has a range of one
octave. Many songs you may have
heard including television and
film theme tunes have parts in
them played by an ocarina.
 |
A
Four Hole Ocarina |
Ocarina's are readily available in the United Kingdom, the United States, and parts of Europe. The ocarina is becoming very
popular as an ornamental piece, so you may have luck finding them in craft stores.
|
