About us

Ocarina Hill (陶韻山莊) is a Taiwan-based website developed and owned by Tau Lin, a student of the famous Taiwanese Ocarina musician, You Xue Zhi (游學志). This website provides ocarina enthusiasts with an avenue to interact and learn from one another. It is also a great source for information pertaining to ocarinas. You can access the Chinese version here .

To cater to our international members, we are now creating an English version starting with a short write up on the history of ocarinas and an English forum. We hope to put more information into this English version in the near future. Ocarina friends from all over the world are welcome to join us at our English forum. Visit our English forum here (under constructing, coming soon).

History of the Ocarina

The ocarina is known by different names throughout the world. In Taiwan, it is called 陶笛 or literally translated, it means ‘clay flute’, and in Japan it is 土笛 or literally ‘earthen flute’. In the Western world, the common name is ocarina, although for the extended range of 10-12 hole ocarina, the Americans call it Sweet Potato because of its shape. Incidentally, in Taiwan, sweet potato-shaped ocarinas are called ‘submarines’. In western music terminology, the ocarina belongs to the family of flutes. But unlike most flutes, the ocarina is not open-ended. Some also call it vessel flute.

It is difficult to trace the exact origin of the ocarina. According to archaeological findings, as far back as 12,000 years ago, Man has learned to use bones and bore holes in them to make simple music. And in China, during the Zhou and Shang Dynasties, egg-shelled musical instruments similar to ocarinas called Xuns were invented. However, while they look similar, the ocarina and Xun produce sound differently. For the ocarina, the lips seal the fipple completely and air is blown into the chamber to produce the notes. The Xun has no fipple, and air is blown without sealing the lips round the opening. There are also no historical records suggesting that the development of the ocarina is related to the Xun. They are two independent developments in the history of music.

The ocarina that we know of today probably has it roots in the Aztec and Mayan civilizations of South America. Since AD 600, the ocarina began to play an important part in rites and rituals, but it was adorned as an accessory rather than as a musical instrument. Early European explorers must have brought this back to Europe where it might have influenced the development of the Gemshorn, a flute made from the horns of goats. The Gemshorn appeared in 1300s in England and Scotland. In 1835, Italian musician, Giuseppe Donati, invented the modern 10-hole ocarina and called it Ocarina, which means ‘little goose’ in Italian. An ocarina orchestra comprising seven people playing seven different sizes of ocarinas was then formed, playing mainly classical and opera music.

In 1900s, as the ocarina became more popular, it was also called the sweet potato because of its shape. During World War II, soldiers were given plastic ocarinas, which were modified to 8 holes, as a means to improve the morale of the soldiers. In 1928, a Japanese, Akeda, modified the 10-hole ocarina into a 12-hole ocarina. Till today, the ocarina is still a very popular musical instrument in Japan. In 1960, Briton John Taylor invented the 4-hole ocarina capable of playing one full octave. This is now commonly referred to as the English ocarina, which is usually round or egg-shaped. Later, Barry Jennings, a sculptor and close friend of Taylor, went on to develop a 7-hole English style ocarina. In the late 90’s, Nintendo released the game, Legend of Zelda – Ocarina of Time, which featured the ocarina and this led to a renewed interest in the ocarina among young people.

Taiwanese ocarinas are a recent development of the last 10 years. Originally, Peruvian ocarinas were found in folk arts stores in the island, but these ocarinas were usually not properly tuned and not capable of playing good music. In 1900, an ocarina maker, Master Cai Zong Han, began researching on how to make ocarinas and later succeeded in making high quality ocarinas. In 2003, Taiwan’s first ocarina musician, Mr You Xue Zhi (游學志), released the first ocarina music album in Taiwan and this led to a sudden interest to learn ocarina in the whole country. Today, Taiwan has many ocarina makers, including Master Cai Zong Han(蔡宗瀚師父), Master Zhang Zhi Ming(張志名師父), Master Li Sheng Hong(李生鴻師父), Master Chen Jun Lai(陳俊來師父), Master Xie Yong Qing(謝永清師父), Master Guo Qing Rong(郭慶榮師父) as well as shops like Shi Cheng(是誠), Nan Tou Ding Ji(南投鼎記), etc. Besides, making 12-hole Japanese style ocarinas, the Taiwanese makers have also modified the 6-hole English-style ocarinas, and also produced self-styled ocarinas like those from Shi Cheng. In terms of sound quality, accuracy, & aesthetics, Taiwanese ocarinas have improved tremendously and are not inferior to Japanese ones and should become popular musical instruments in the country in the near future.

Originally written in Chinese by Tau Lin, Owner of Ocarina Hill. Translated into English by Martin of Singapore.