Back Hyperbasfløjte Danish חליל היפר קונטרה-באס HE Հիպերբաս ֆլեյտա Armenian Flauto iperbasso Italian Hyperbassfløyte NB
 Hyperbass flute played by Roberto Fabbriciani in Chemical Free (?) by Nicola Sani, 2014 | |
| Woodwind instrument | |
|---|---|
| Classification | |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 421.121.12-71 (Side-blown Aerophone with tone holes and keys) |
| Playing range | |
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| Related instruments | |
| Flutes: | |
The hyperbass flute is conceptually the largest and lowest-pitched instrument in the flute family, although it is extremely rare. It first appeared at the turn of the 21st century, and only two are known to exist.[1] With tubing reaching over 8 metres (26 ft) in length, it is pitched in C, four octaves below the concert flute (three octaves below the bass, two below the contrabass, and one octave below the double contrabass). Its lowest note is C0, one octave below the lowest C on a standard piano, which at 16 hertz is considered below the threshold of human hearing. Humans hear from 20 to 20,000 Hz.
The first playable example was built by Florentine craftsman Francesco Romei for Italian flutist Roberto Fabbriciani, inventor and first performer of the instrument.[1] He called it the hyperbass flute (Italian: flauto iperbasso).[2] This first instrument was made from PVC and wood, with wide tone holes made from standard tee fittings, but without keys; these are covered with the palms of the hands.[3] Low flute specialist Peter Sheridan commissioned the first fully chromatic hyperbass flute, from the Dutch maker Jelle Hogenhuis in August 2010.[1][4]
- ^ a b c Brame, Jason (11 November 2020). "What Is The Hyperbass Flute?". Notestem. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
- ^ Davismoon, Stephen (Winter 2003). "... infinite dimensions ... infinite futures ... infinite horizons". The Drouth. 10. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ Photographs on web site of Roberto Fabbriciani: photo 1 Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, photo 2 Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, photo 3 Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 15 March 2007.
- ^ Pertout, Andrian; Sheridan, Peter (hyperbass flute) (18 July 2021). Decodificando el Universo, The Hyperbass Flute (Peter Sheridan) (video clip). Retrieved 24 November 2022 – via YouTube.