Hyperbass flute
very large flute pitched in C two octaves below the contrabass flute
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. 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. Therefore, only the second and higher harmonics of the lowest notes are audible, but the entire range of the instrument can be heard.
The first playable example was built by Florentine craftsman Francesco Romei for Italian flutist Roberto Fabbriciani, inventor and first performer of the instrument. He called it the flauto iperbasso, or hyperbass flute.
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.
Low flute specialist Peter Sheridan commissioned the first fully chromatic hyperbass flute, from Dutch flute maker Jelle Hogenhuis in August 2010.
The public source identifies “Hyperbass flute” as very large flute pitched in C two octaves below the contrabass flute. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Hyperbass, flute and very.
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