Lizzo looked unusually tense as she crossed the stage in a shimmering mesh leotard with tights and sequined combat boots.
A classically trained flutist who began playing in the fifth grade and was considering studying at the Paris Conservatoire, she weaves the flute into many of her compositions. played virtually Her flute named Sasha Flute, with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, even has its own flute instagram page.
But what awaited her on Tuesday night was an elaborate (and very fragile) instrument that arrived at her concert in Washington under heavy security. It was a crystal flute made by a French craftsman and watchmaker for President James Madison in 1813.
“It’s scary,” Lizzo said as she received the glowing instrument from Carol Lynn Ward-Bamford, a curator at the Library of Congress, who carefully removed the flute from its custom protective case. “It’s crystal. It’s like playing with wine glasses.”
As the crowd roared, Lizzo made a sound, stuck his tongue out in surprise, made another sound, and twisted and trilled in front of thousands of cheering fans. She then put the flute on her head and gave the crowd at Capital One Arena her final look before she handed it back to Mr. Ward Bamford.
“I just played a tweaked James Madison crystal flute from the 1800s,” declared Lizzo. “We made history tonight.”
Lizzo, a wildly popular black singer, rapper and songwriter, played a prized instrument once owned by the founder of a Virginia plantation built by enslaved black laborers. was an iconic moment. And the flute was on loan from Carla D. Hayden. Carla D. Hayden was the first African American and the first woman to head the Library of Congress.
That moment came after Dr. Hayden asked Lizzo on Friday to visit the world’s largest library’s flute collection, which houses nearly 1,700 instruments.
Dr. Hayden wrote on twitter: “@lizzo make sure to come see me next week when you’re in DC. Like your song, they’re ‘good as hell’.” “
Lizzo answered without hesitation.
“I’m coming Carla! And I’m playing that crystal flute!!!!!” she wrote.
Lizzo arrived Monday with her mother and band members. Dr. Hayden and staff show her to her “flute vault,” which she said Lizzo might want as a Christmas present, a collection containing flutes shaped like fifes, piccolos, and canes. I guided you.
Staff said Lizzo spent more than three hours in the library, trying out several musical instruments.
She played the piccolo for John Philip Sousa’s band and was used to play solo in the premiere of his song “Stars and Stripes Forever”. They played plexiglass flutes and filled the glamorous space. main reading room and marble large hall It delighted the librarians and a handful of researchers who happened to be there.
“It’s just Lizzo’s enthusiasm when she saw the flute collection and her curiosity about it,” Ward-Bamford said in an interview Wednesday. “It was great.”
Most of the collection, including Madison’s crystal flute, dates from 1941. Dayton C. Miller, physicist, astronomer, and avid flute collector.
Madison’s flute was made by Claude Laurent, a Parisian craftsman who believed that glass flutes had better pitch and tone than the wood and ivory flutes that were common at the time. made for the inauguration of
The flute’s silver joint is engraved with Madison’s name, title, and 1813. said the library.
The library is owned by First Lady Dolly Madison. may have saved the flute Although no documents have been found to confirm the theory from the 1814 White House, when Britain entered Washington during the War of 1812.
Only 185 of Laurent’s glass flutes survive, according to the library, and the crystal flute is particularly rare. The Library of Congress has 17 Roland flutes.
When Lizzo asked if she could play Madison’s crystal flute at Tuesday’s concert, the library’s collections, preservation, and security team took action to ensure the instrument was safely delivered to her onstage.
“It was very thrilling and a little scary,” Ward-Bamford said.
Or, as Lizzo told a cheering fan after playing her instrument, “Thank you Library of Congress for preserving our history and keeping history cool. History is It’s so cool, folks.