Known for being a singer, rapper, and songwriter, Melissa Jefferson, who goes by Lizzo, is also a talented flutist. Before becoming a personality on stage, Lizzo first fell in love with the flute when she practiced it at the age of five. Now, much older, the singer is considered classical trained in the instrument. Fans of her songs can often hear the flute. Not to mention, she played with the New York Philharmonic. She even gave her flute a name, Sasha Flute, which even has its own Instagram page. But while Lizzo loves her Sasha Flute, on Tuesday, she was given an opportunity to play a flute that holds an interesting place in American history.

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Playing for a crowd at the Capitol One Arena in Washington DC, Lizzo paused as a curator at the Library of Congress, Carol Lynn Ward-Bamford, presented her with a crystal flute made by a French clockmaker. Although there are numerous expensive flutes out there, this one is not only made of crystal, but it was made for President James Madison in 1813. Slowly taking the instrument, Lizzo said, “I’m scared. It’s crystal. It’s like playing out of a wine glass.”

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Playing a few notes on the flute, Lizzo was sure to add in some twerking before declaring, “I just twerked and played James Madison’s crystal flute from the 1800s. We just made history tonight.” The moment was praised due to the instrument once belonging to a plantation owner – but now it sat in the hands of a black woman. The flute, which came with heavy security, was lent to Lizzo by Carla D. Hayden, who is the first black woman to head the Library of Congress. Hayden asked Lizzo to visit the library as it has one of the largest flute collections in the world with 1,700.

Carol Lynn Ward-Bamford recalled watching Lizzo examine the flutes, “Just the enthusiasm that Lizzo brought to seeing the flute collection and how curious she was about it. It’s been wonderful.”

According to the New York Times, “Most of the collection — including Madison’s crystal flute — was donated in 1941 by Dayton C. Miller, a physicist, astronomer and ardent collector of flutes. Madison’s flute had been made for his second inauguration by Claude Laurent, a Parisian craftsman who believed that glass flutes would hold their pitch and tone better than flutes made of wood or ivory, which were common at the time.”

The Library of Congress admitted that while the silver joint is engraved with Madison’s name, “It’s not clear if Madison did much with the flute other than admire it, but it became a family heirloom and an artifact of the era.”

After returning the flute, Lizzo said, “Thank you to the Library of Congress for preserving our history and making history freaking cool. History is freaking cool, you guys.”

This piece was written by Jeremy Porter on September 29, 2022. It originally appeared on RedVoiceMedia.com and is used with permission.

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