This blog is dedicated to the sublime instruments called nose flutes and which produce the most divine sound ever. We have chosen to discard all the native models from S. Pacific and Asia, for they need fingering to be played. We'll concentrate on "buccal cavity driven" nose flutes : the well patented and trademarked metal or plastic ones, plus, by a condemnable indulgence, some wooden craft or home-made productions.

Dec 22, 2011

Humanatone - Part III : the Gretsch metal era

Sequel of the posts :
Humanatone - part I : the metallic era
Humanatone - part II : the Gretsch plastic era


One of the rarest industrial nose flute to be seeked by the collector is undoubtedly the japanese Humanatone. It surely was a Gretsch Mfg Co. instrument, according to the packaging design and the fact the owner of the brand was Gretsch, but it was produced in Japan and there is no mention of another brand that « Humanatone ». It probably dates from the 50s and/or the 60s.

The instrument is a Humanatone made in plated tin, with a shape quite similar to the american plastic one, but with some light differences, partly due to the way of producing it.
The packaging used the exact graphic chart of its american cousin, but was simply inserted on a card, and not packed in a box.


The instrument in itself is absolutely gorgeous. It is made of nickel or chrome plated tin. The way it was produced is interesting. Two plates had been stamped and cut, corresponding to the shield on one hand, and the nose cap and duct cover on the other. Then both pieces were soldered together, and nickel/chrome plated. What's interesting is the way the instrument is cut in 2 parts : with the antique nose flutes, the nose cap was part of the shield plate. Here, the nose cap is the continuation of the air duct cover.

The japanese Humanatone is deprived of "true tremolo" hole, and has a shape lightly different from the plastic 50s model and, for sure, from the current plastic production by Trophy Music Co., notably by a smaller mouth hole.



---

About metal Humanatones, check :

Humanatone - part I : the metallic era
New Humanatone ads
The Two metal Humanatones
Another metal Humanatone
Humanatone boxes
Another Humanatone box
Humanatone: A very early user manual
A Humanatone and clones chronology
A Humanatone in 1892 ?
Rectification: Humanatone appearance date


And on later Humanatones :
Humanatone - Part II : the Gretsch plastic era
Humanatone - Part III : the Gretsch metal era

---

Dec 21, 2011

Cats and Nose Flutes

Our little friends love nose flutes. They are opposed to hand-free instruments, and surely prefer models with an elastic cord.

Miss Patafix! trying to get back her flute :

Mister Schubert watching over his instruments :

And mister Mingus, who never leaves its Nasenflöte :

Dec 15, 2011

Humanatone - Part II : the Gretsch plastic era

Sequel of the post : Humanatone - part I : the metallic era
Followed by : Humanatone - part III : the Gretsch metal era


En 1903, James J. Stivers launched the original Humanatone nose flute, made of tin plate, and refering to Carter's and Couchois' patents (adding later Leech-Couchois). On that purpose, he filed the trade-mark Humanatone in july 1904 (N°43264), then in August 1905 (with a new typo, N°45056).

The metallic Humanatone was a best and long seller, and Stivers renewed the trademark on Feb. 9th, 1926 (N°208915), and then twenty years later, on Feb. 9th, 1946 (same reg. number). I assume that in 1946, the metal Humanatone was not available anymore, replaced in the catalogs by its competitor the Magic Nose Flute, but it still features in the 1941 Favorite Mfg. Co. catalog.
(It would be rather logical that the metal Humanatone production stopped with the WWII, when iron became dedicated in order of priority to weapons rather than nose flutes, despite that bad playing could have been disastrous for the enemy...)

Anyway, the brand survived. On Jul. 19, 1947, the trade-mark was bought and renewed by the Fred Gretsch Mfg Co. (same number 208915), which renewed it again on Feb. 9th, 1966). However, before Gretsch bought the brand, a Gretsch plastic nose flute was already available, following the design of Ernest Davis' patent, as it can be seen in the 1944 F.A.O. Schwarz catalog...
(Had Gretsch bought the whole Humanatone Co. to Stivers, then took some time to register the trade-mark under its own brand ?).
So, it is possible to date the first plastic Humanatone between Jan. 22th, 1940 (when Ernest W. Davis filed his patent), or more probably 1942 (after Pearl Harbor attack and the beginning of war) and autumn 1943, when the Christmas toys catalogs were issued.
The very day the brand was bought, the Billboard published an advertising promoting the Gretsch Humanatone.


The packaging evolved. The first boxes were blue, and it exists a box version ready to be send to the boys in the service! It just needed to be stamped and address filled.


Then the boxes flattened, and received a two colored design (this graphic design was also applied to the metal japanese Humanatone). I know 2 versions of this box, one is beige and orange, and the other, less scarce, beige and bordeaux.

The shape of the flute itself evolved; the main difference was a later supplementation of a "heel" to the base of the mouth cap, forming a rest for the lower lip. I don't know when this change happened, but certainly after 1955, as the Continental and Meisel music catalogs show a model deprived of it.


The other differences can be seen in the stampings and on the « true tremolo » hole, which got enlarged a bit in diameter (and lost its conical shape). More, the mould injection entrance has been modified : on the early flutes, the plastic was injected by the very base of the mouth cap, leading to a unattractive edge. Next, the polystyrene was cast from the rear side of the mouth cap, as it can be seen with the circular "scar" apparent at this place.


Apart of the stampings and the quality of plastics (which was polystyrene at the beginning, before to become PVC nowadays), the main difference between the Fred Gretsch Mfg. Co. Humanatones and the contemporary ones by Grover-Trophy Music Co., was the injection of several colors plastic pellets in the moulds, leading to beautiful swirled colors, sometimes quite psychedelic!

Now, for the pleasure of the eyes...

Part of this collection was originally owned by Brian "Brionski" F.
Thanks a lot to him for having indulged my collector's greed !


---

About metal Humanatones, check :

Humanatone - part I : the metallic era
New Humanatone ads
The Two metal Humanatones
Another metal Humanatone
Humanatone boxes
Another Humanatone box
Humanatone: A very early user manual
A Humanatone and clones chronology
A Humanatone in 1892 ?
Rectification: Humanatone appearance date


And on later Humanatones :
Humanatone - Part II : the Gretsch plastic era
Humanatone - Part III : the Gretsch metal era

---

Dec 13, 2011

Video : a beautiful song by Mosurin

A new video by japanese Master Mosurin, recorded at Taiyuan EarthCafe. A song by Masako Mori, music by Yoshiko Shinohara.

Dec 12, 2011

Music bands : a premiere for The Nasalette's and Feed the Diva !

Yesterday, in Nancy (France), the P'tit Baz'Art (Christmas Art Market) was the opportunity for The Nasalette's (Nicolas D. & UkeHeidi) and Feed the Diva! (The Nosy Diva & UkeHeidi) to perform together for their first public performance, vintage foxtrots and pop songs in alternance, plus Stille Nacht as Christmas carol.
One ukulele or banjolele, plus 2 nose flutes, and even a fiddle.

Here are some picture and a newspaper excerpt. Maybe some videos later.


And a short post on Camille's blog mentioning us.

Photos by Camille Tourneux Press Article by Corinne Baret-Idatte from Est Républicain.

Dec 10, 2011

Joke : The Rider healed by a nose flute

What a surprise! I was looking for a camera user manual in a messy cupboard, when I found a antique german postcard (First World War) I collected probably 20 years ago. It shows a horse from which has got a Prussian officer off, in order to help what I suppose to be a wounded soldier. The card is printed with the 4th verses of a Wilhelm Hauff's lied named Reiters Morgenlied (the Rider's Morning lied), also called Morgenrot, Morgenrot.


Obsessed by nose flutes and having a declining view, I immediately thought the officer was trying to heal the wounded soldier by applying a tin-plate Nasenflöte on his face.
Well... a magnifying scan shows I'm wrong, and the supposed nose flute was a metal glass of schnaps !

Dec 6, 2011

The Vociphone : an early Belgian patent

The Vociphone was filed for a patent (BE246727) on thursday 13th of June, 1912, at 12:10 AM, by Mr François Vandervaeren, Belgian citizen of Brussels (121, rue de Laeken). It was notably sold at the Roberty's Vandervaeren company (124, Boulevard du Nord, renamed in 1918 Boulevard Adolphe Max).


The Vociphone was packed in a cardboard box in the bottom of which was stuck the user manual, saying : « Le Vociphone est la dernière nouveauté instrumentale trouvée jusqu'à ce jour. Les enfants comme les grandes personnes peuvent jouer l'instrument sans aucun apprentissage ni professeur. » ("The Vociphone is the last musical novelty found until now. Children as adults can play the instrument without any learning or teacher"). And ending with « Le Vociphone se joue en famille comme en société. Essayer c'est l'adopter. » ("The Vociphone can be played in the family as in the society. To try it is to adopt it.")


In the patent documents, the description says : « Musical instrument novelty reproducing in a perfect manner the human voice, and called "Vociphone".»


On the patent drawings, the Vociphone has the rather common shape of the nose flutes from this time, but features a angled air duct cap and 4 little eyelets (numbered "9") maybe used with a lace for hand-free playing, but unfortunately not yet documented in the patent (the one a the bottom of the mouth cape is particularly strangely positioned...)


The Vociphone was planned to be built in "any appropriate material, tin plate, nickel, etc.". It was commercialized, but with a shape quite similar to the original metal Humanatone.

Photos : © Jacques Cools and Larigot (ACIMV)