always pioneer, Lizzo struck another first time during his tour of Washington, DC, playing an approximately 200-year-old crystal flute that belonged to a former president of the United States.
The singer and flutist of “About Damn Time” carefully played the delicate instrument, which was sent as a gift to James Madison in 1813 by the French flute maker Claude Laurent.
The Library of Congress kept the flute in its vault for decades before allowing Lizzo to play it on stage.
In images shared by viewers, Lizzo handled the flute with enthusiasm and delicacy under the careful surveillance of the Library and Capitol Police staff. She briefly shared the flute’s history with her audience and said that she was “the first person to play it”.
She played a note on the crystal flute, pausing excitedly, according to a video Lizzo shared on social media. Then she blew out a few more shaky notes, cautiously dancing as she played, as is her signature.
After a few seconds, she held the flute in the air, victorious, and carefully returned it to the staff waiting a few feet away.
“I just rolled over and played James Madison’s crystal flute from the 1800s,” she said in disbelief. “We just made history tonight!”
Lizzo then thanked the library for “preserving our history” and reminded her fans that “history is really cool.”
Earlier this week, the Library of Congress invited Lizzo to tour its collection of 1,700 flutes, the largest in the world, according to the Library.
She carefully played the flute before “serenading staff and some researchers” with a “more practical” woodwind, the Library said.
Lizzo asked the Library if she could play the famous flute for a few moments during her show in Washington, and the Library agreed, although it sent the Capitol Police and several other security officials along with the flute to ensure her safety.
The recent Emmy winner plays the flute regularly during her concerts and has experimented with other rare and valuable flutes, including an 18k gold instrument.
flute origin
The flute is exceptionally rare: The Library of Congress has 20 flutes made by Laurent in its vault, but only one of the two is made of crystal, according to the Library. Madison’s custom-made flute contained a silver knuckle, engraved with her name.
But his journey to the Library’s collection was tortuous and took more than 100 years. The flute may have been saved by First Lady Dolley Madison during the 1814 White House fire, the Library said. It went into the possession of Dolley Madison’s son from her first marriage, John Payne Todd, who bequeathed it to Dr. Cornelius Boyle of Washington.
Boyle’s descendants allowed the flute to be displayed in 1903 at the National Museum of the United States, an original part of the Smithsonian Institution, until Dayton C. Miller, another physician and flute enthusiast, purchased it.
He later donated the crystal flute, along with 1,700 instruments, to the Library in 1941, where the flute remained until its stage debut with Lizzo.
Source: CNN Brasil
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