A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays the flute.

Naming controversy

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The choice of "flautist" (from the Italian flautista, from flauto, and adopted due to 18th century Italian influence) vs "flutist" is the source of minor dispute among players of the instrument. "Flutist" is the earlier term, dating from at least 1603 (the earliest quote cited by the Oxford English Dictionary), while "flautist" is not recorded before 1860, when it was used by Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Marble Faun. While the print version of the OED does not indicate any regional preference for either form, the online Compact OED characterizes "flutist" as a United States usage.

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NPR Topics: Jazz

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