AAM 48.26.234 by Meso & Central American Sound Library Project

Unprovenienced Chupícuaro style air ducted zoomorphic (see the incised limbs on the lateral sides of the artifact) ocarina with an elliptic cylinder-shaped resonator drilled with four finger holes and two suspension holes. This carefully polished red-on-buff wind instrument dates to the Late Formative Period (500 BC-AD 100) and has possibly been retrieved/looted in the southeastern area of the Lerma River basin (Guanajuato, Mexico). From a purely organological point of view, this vessel flute has been deftly crafted (e.g., the meticulous edge-tone assembly). The aperture size is relatively small, so little air pressure is required to get a clear tone. However, amplitude and pitch are strongly impacted by variations in the blowing pressure level.
The sonic artifact was part of the A. & C. Van Kerkhove private collection and was donated to the Royal Museums of Art and History (KMKG-MRAH) on December 1, 1947.

Overall dimensions (depth x width x height): 4.82 x 3.91 x 2.89 (cm).

Please click on the track name for additional pictures of the instrument.

Tracklist

1.	Chupícuaro Phase (ca. 500 BC-AD 100) zoomorphic air ducted ocarina with an elliptic cylinder-shaped resonator drilled with four finger holes - improvisation with two gourd rattles (w/ overdubs)	2:11

Credits

released November 24, 2023

Sonic artifact experimentally played & recorded by J-F Brohée using a pair of Neumann KM183 & a Universal Audio 710 Twin-Finity preamplifier. © KMKG-MRAH.

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