The flute is one of the most ancient of musical instruments, though its modern form is one of the most technically sophisticated instrument designs. In its long history the flute has been made of almost every imaginable material, from the most precious, such as gold or ivory, to the very unassuming, such as wood or hard rubber. Because it can be easily turned and drilled, wood has a long and distinguished tradition in flutes, and its mellow tone still gives it a place in flute making. At various times in the past, musicians and instrument makers have favored different woods. In the eighteenth century, for example, fruit woods such as pear and cherry were popular, along with boxwood. Later, ebony and cocuswood—exotic, dense wood products of the tropics—were widely adopted. Often trimmed with gold or silver, wooden flutes were prizedexamples of craftsmanship. More showy, but less practical, were flutes made of ivory or even glass. These were valued more as show pieces or curiosities than as serious instruments.
The metal flute is a product of nineteenth-century Europe, when techniques and tools combined with new musical standards to encourage the use of silver and, occasionally, gold. The gold instrument of Mozart's The Magic Flute would have been unusual indeed when that opera was written at the end of the eighteenth century, but a hundred years later itseemed much more natural, especially for musicians seeking a "warmer" tone than that of the more common silver. Platinum and gold together make an even more spectacular flute, though the musical advantages are less clear. By the end of the nineteenth century, experiments on even more novel materials had made flutes of hard rubber practical, particularly when metal was used for certain parts. Such flutes were intended to offer the student or amateur an inexpensive yet suitable alternative to the precious metals and woods.