You can sometimes hear it before you see it.

A clear, distinctive melody rises above the deep rhythm of a drum, creating one of the most recognisable sounds of traditional Ibiza.

The instrument producing that melody is the flaüta, the traditional flute of Ibiza and Formentera.

Small in appearance but surprisingly powerful in sound, the flaüta has an important place in the musical traditions of the Pityusic Islands.

What is a flaüta?

The flaüta is a traditional wooden flute associated with Ibiza and Formentera.

It belongs to a type of flute played by blowing through a channel and directing the air against an edge inside the instrument.

The Pityusic version has a narrow body and is relatively long compared with its width.

One of its most distinctive features is its unusual fingering system.

The instrument has three finger holes: two on the front and one on the back.

This is quite different from the modern concert flute most people know.

How is the flaüta played?

The traditional player, known as a sonador, normally plays the flaüta with one hand while also carrying and playing a drum with the other.

Traditionally, the flaüta is held in the left hand and the drum is attached to the same arm.

The other hand holds a drumstick and plays the drum.

This means that one musician is producing both melody and rhythm at the same time.

It is one of the most fascinating features of traditional Pityusic music.

The musician does not need a separate drummer standing beside them.

The flute and drum are performed together by the same person.

Why does the flaüta have only three holes?

Its three-hole design gives the instrument a very different character from many other European flutes.

The precise musical system of the Pityusic flaüta developed within the island's own traditional music, rather than being designed according to the systems used by modern orchestral instruments.

Traditional players learned the instrument through oral transmission, passing musical knowledge from one generation to another.

The result is an instrument closely connected with the local repertoire rather than one designed for a standardised modern musical system.

The flaüta and the tambor

The two instruments are traditionally inseparable.

The deep sound of the tambor provides the rhythmic foundation while the flaüta carries the melody.

Together they form the basic instrumental pairing heard in traditional ball pagès and other Pityusic musical traditions.

The combination is remarkable because the sonador has to coordinate both instruments simultaneously.

One hand controls the melody.

The other provides the rhythm.

This gives the music a highly distinctive character.

What is the flaüta made from?

Traditional examples have commonly been made from wood.

Some historical descriptions also mention materials such as oleander wood.

The exact appearance of individual instruments can vary, and traditional flaütes can be decorated rather than left completely plain.

The instrument belongs to the wider tradition of locally made rural musical instruments, where materials available in the surrounding environment could be transformed into useful objects.

Is the flaüta the same as a normal flute?

No.

Although both are flutes, the Pityusic flaüta is a very different instrument from the modern orchestral flute.

A modern concert flute is a metal instrument with a much more complex key system and is held horizontally.

The traditional flaüta is a much simpler wooden instrument with three finger holes and a very different playing technique.

It belongs to the world of folk and traditional music rather than the modern orchestra.

Where do you hear the flaüta?

The instrument is closely associated with the traditional dances of Ibiza and Formentera.

It accompanies ball pagès, the traditional dance tradition of the Pityusic Islands.

During these performances, the sound of the flaüta forms part of the characteristic combination of flute, drum and large traditional castanets.

But its role is not limited to dancing.

The instrument is part of a wider traditional musical culture that includes different forms of instrumental playing and local celebrations.

The sound of rural Ibiza

For generations, the sound of the flaüta belonged to rural life.

Traditional music was performed at community gatherings, celebrations and important occasions.

The dances were historically connected with rural society and with events held at country homes and during collective agricultural activities.

Music therefore had a practical social function.

It brought people together.

The instruments were not simply performed on a stage for an audience.

They were part of community life.

One musician, two instruments

Perhaps the most impressive thing to watch is a sonador playing the flaüta and tambor together.

The musician has to maintain the melody with the flute while simultaneously keeping the rhythm on the drum.

The coordination required is considerable.

The technique is also one reason the traditional sound cannot easily be separated from the instruments themselves.

The music was developed around this particular way of playing.

The flaüta belongs to a larger tradition

Ibiza's traditional music should not be viewed as an isolated curiosity.

Flutes accompanied by drums are found in different parts of Europe and beyond.

However, the Pityusic combination has its own distinctive characteristics.

The local flaüta, the particular drum, the large castanets and the repertoire of traditional melodies together form a musical tradition strongly identified with Ibiza and Formentera.

It is the combination that makes the sound so recognisable.

Is the flaüta very old?

The instrument belongs to a traditional musical culture with a long history, but its exact origins are difficult to date.

This is another subject where it is important to be careful with claims about ancient origins.

You may sometimes see traditional Ibiza instruments described as surviving unchanged from prehistoric or ancient times.

There is not enough evidence to make such a straightforward claim about the modern flaüta.

What we can establish is that the instrument is part of a well-documented traditional musical culture that was transmitted orally across generations.

Its exact early development remains a more complicated historical question.

Keeping the sound alive

Like many traditional instruments, the flaüta depends on people continuing to learn how to make and play it.

Modern Ibiza has changed dramatically from the rural society in which these traditions developed.

Yet local folkloric groups continue to teach the music and perform it during cultural celebrations.

That means the flaüta is not simply an archaeological object or something preserved behind glass.

It remains a living instrument.

Why the flaüta matters to Ibiza

The flaüta may be small, but it carries a remarkable amount of Ibiza's cultural history.

Its sound is connected with ball pagès, village celebrations, rural traditions and the generations of musicians who learned to play it.

Together with the tambor and other traditional instruments, it creates a musical language that is immediately associated with the Pityusic Islands.

For visitors, hearing the flaüta can be an enjoyable part of experiencing traditional Ibiza.

For the island itself, it represents something deeper.

It is one of the sounds through which Ibiza's rural culture has been carried from one generation to the next.