Whistling Jars

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Anthropomorphic whistling bottle

This whistling bottle comes from the Chorrera culture, which inhabited the southern coast of modern-day Ecuador between 1000 and 300 BCE.

It is a wind instrument that is played by blowing through the neck of the bottle. The sound is produced by a small globular flute located in the base of the bottle’s handle. If the bottle is partly filled, a tremulous sound is produced due to the passage of bubbles through the liquid.

This instrument has no fingering holes and makes only one note (B+), but the tone may be varied by changing the quantity of liquid, the position and movement of the piece, and the style of blowing into it.

The body of the bottle is shaped in the form of a human figure seated in the lotus position, and its base is flat. The bottle has a straight, ridged neck and a small handle.

Dimensions: 200 mm high x 100 mm long x 180 mm wide (approx 8” x 4” x 7”).

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Part Code: MCHAP 91

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