From Mary Bellis,
Your Guide to Inventors.
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The ceramic ocarina is a musical wind instrument that is a type of vessel flute. The earliest known examples of an ocarina found include: the small terracotta animal-shaped whistles shaped like birds that were found (and still are made) in India dated over six thousand years old, and a tortoise-shaped Ocarina that was found in the remains of the Mayan civilization.

The modern Budrio or ten hole ocarina was invented by Italian Giuseppe Donati in 1853. Giuseppe Donati was a seventeen year old musician and baker that lived in Budrio, Italy.

The History of the Ocarina Flute

The modern Budrio ocarina, now simply ocarina, is a popular wind-instrument belonging to the family of flutes - invented by Giuseppe Donati at Budrio in 1853.

Ocarina History

The ocarina or vessel flute, first appeared approximately 10,000 years ago. Italian musician, Giuseppe Donati, invented the modern 10-hole ocarina.

History of the Ocarina

They remained a popular toy for more than 340 years until 17 year old musician-baker Guiseppe Donati of Budrio (near Bologna) Italy, transformed them from a toy which only played a few notes,into a real instrument which could play more than an octave accurately. Guiseppe Donati originated the first pitched diatonic scale ocarinas.