World Flutelore: Folktales, Myths, and Other Stories of Magical Flute Power by Dale A. Olsen (review)

“While much has been written about the history of the flute in the Western art music tradition, less has been written about the history and cultural significance of world flutes,” says Dale A. Olsen as he embarks upon his survey of folkloric organology (p. xv). Olsen then guides the reader through myriad tales in world folklore that tread upon the subject of flutes, in a dizzying display of comparative anthropology and ethnomusicology. His exploration ranges from well-known pieces, such as Mozart’s The Magic Flute and “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” to Chinese poetry and anecdotes from contemporary Irish flautists. The author’s enthusiasm carries the text at a brisk pace from tale to tale, while his interpretations provide a great deal of illumination on the role of the flute as a distinct cultural tool, often imbued with magical or mythic properties, which may subtly or overtly shape the mental framework of a people or place. Olsen outlines the taxonomy of flutes and flutelore, then proceeds to recount key flute tales and interpret them with an eye to comparative analysis and primary themes. Despite a rapid clip, which can, at times, be disorienting, his enthusiasm for his subject maintains the central aim of the text and delivers upon his promise to answer what he calls “one of the primary questions of my research: How is flute magic and power manifested?” (p. xix).

Olsen begins his survey with a short tale from India and a discussion of just what constitutes a “flute” in flutelore. Chapter 1 breaks down the classifications of flutes according to his very own “Olsen categories,” seven in all, ranging from “[v]ertical/diagonal tubular flute with ductless, rimmed mouthpiece” to the ocarina-like “[g]lobular or vessel flute with duct mouthpiece” (pp. 4–7). These categories hold relevance for an organologist, but are not always used consistently in the text. The author switches between his autonominal categories and the simple descriptions of “transverse” or “vertical” flutes in his examinations of the tales. The inconsistency does not mar the flow of the work, however, and in some cases, Olsen’s descriptions do prove useful, particularly when dealing with the surprising number of panpipe or syrinx variations in global storytelling. Once he finishes educating the reader on the finer distinctions between flutes and other wind and brass instruments, the author begins pursuing key themes in flutelore. Chapter 2 centers on the creation of magical flutes, with particular emphasis on shamanic elements, and chapter 3 explores the ways in which flutes sometimes imitate language, highlighting flutes of interest such as the Hawaiian ‘ohe hano ihu—a nose flute played without using the mouth, so “the player can speak words through his mouth while he is expelling breath through his nose to make his instrument sound” (p. 37). Chapters 4 and 5 look at the role of gender and sex in flute tales, as well as the use of flutes in stories of love magic or seduction. The next two chapters focus on the animal kingdom and its flutes and the role of flute music in agriculture. Chapters 8 through 13 move into the realms of the intangible, with emphasis on virtue, magic, ethics, and death as powers under the influence of flutes. Chapter 14 is a much more technical chapter, focusing on the ethnomusicology of timbre and tone in various types of flutes, from the “buzzy timbre” of the Peruvian roncadora to the clearer bird-like tones of the Japanese fue, or bamboo flute (pp. 181–5). Olsen concludes his book with a summary of his efforts, emphasizing the most recurrent themes—the flute as a conductor of life-power through breath, for example—and the intensely magical nature of the instrument.

The selection of folktales in World Flutelore at first blush seems like a barrage of narratives presented at a quick pace. They are often...