Lizzo

The rare crystal flute was rescued from the White House in 1814, and no one alive had heard its sound before.

Lizzo became a special “flute guest” when Hayden reached out to the pop star on Twitter. Fans were quick to note the significance of it all. And on Tuesday, she became the first (and so far only) person known to have played the historic instrument. "Lizzo thanked the Library of Congress for making history cool," Hayden said in a statement. It’s like playing out of a wine glass.” “Bitch, I’m scared,” she joked with the audience.

A classically trained flutist, the singer, rapper and songwriter spent more than three hours admiring the flute collection at the Library of Congress.

Hayden and staff members ushered her into the “flute vault,” and gave her a tour of the collection, which includes fifes, piccolos and a flute shaped like a walking stick, which Lizzo said she might want as a Christmas present. “Just the enthusiasm that Lizzo brought to seeing the flute collection and how curious she was about it,” Ms. “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,” Laurent’s glass flutes remain, the library said, and his crystal flutes are especially rare. As the crowd roared, Lizzo played a note, stuck out her tongue in amazement, and then played another note, trilling it as she twerked in front of thousands of cheering fans. Lizzo arrived on Monday, with her mother and members of her band. “It’s been wonderful.” She then carried the flute over her head, giving the crowd at Capital One Arena one last look, before handing it back to Ms. “I’m scared,” Lizzo said, as she took the sparkling instrument from Carol Lynn Ward-Bamford, a curator at the Library of Congress, who had carefully removed the flute from its customized protective case. [Virginia plantation](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/22/us/montpelier-estate-board-enslaved.html) was built by enslaved Black workers. The moment came together after Dr. Madison’s instrument was made for the second inauguration by a Parisian craftsman.

As NPR's Chloe Veltman reports, the pop music star delighted fans when she played the historic instrument, which belonged to founding father James Madison at a ...

VELTMAN: The audience at Capital One Arena in D.C. It nearly perished when the British set fire to the White House in 1814. Two curators from the music division were with it. Library spokesman Roswell Encina says the flute even had its own escort. As NPR's Chloe Veltman reports, the pop music star delighted fans when she played the historic instrument, which belonged to founding father James Madison at a concert in Washington, D.C., last night. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

Lizzo played James Madison's crystal flute in the Library of Congress, thanks to the power of Twitter.

Then you read it and you go Fair enough. According to the Washington Post, Lizzo had toured the Library’s “flute vault,” which contains over 2000 flutes made from such materials as jade, gold, and plexiglass. Carla Hayden tweeted about the LoC’s flute collection, which Lizzo RT’d with the caption “IM COMING CARLA!

The Library of Congress invited the musician, a classically trained flutist, to play the instrument at her concert this week.

[Lizzo](https://www.lizzomusic.com/) and the [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/) to showcase a 200-year-old flute, which the artist played to a packed stadium in Washington, D.C. “I just twerked and played James Madison’s flute from the 1800s!” Lizzo shouted to the cheering crowd, after handing the flute back to a library representative. the audience took pride in that.” “It was so uniquely a moment that could only happen in D.C. It's safe & sound back at the Library now. Laurent [first patented](https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2018/10/the-mystery-of-james-madisons-crystal-flute/) his crystal flute design in 1806 in Paris; in the early 1800s, it was sought after by royalty, dignitaries and emperors alike. “Like your song they are ‘Good as hell,’ she wrote of the instruments. [Carla Hayden](https://www.loc.gov/about/about-the-librarian/) noticed that Lizzo would be playing a show in D.C. stop on the [#SpecialTour]tonight. [blog post](https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2022/09/its-about-danged-time-lizzo-at-the-library/?loclr=twloc) from the Library of Congress’ April Slayton, the one-of-a-kind instrument was crafted in 1813 by French flute designer Claude Laurent for Madison in honor of his second inauguration. “Thank you to the Library of Congress for preserving our history and making history cool. The Library of Congress invited the musician, a classically trained flutist, to play the instrument at her concert this week

Pop artist Lizzo stunned audiences with her performance Tuesday on a historic glass flute once owned by James Madison. The flute is currently housed in the ...

VELTMAN: The audience at Capital One Arena in D.C. It nearly perished when the British set fire to the White House in 1814. Two curators from the music division were with it. Library spokesman Roswell Encina says the flute even had its own escort. As NPR's Chloe Veltman reports, the pop music star delighted fans when she played the historic instrument, which belonged to founding father James Madison at a concert in Washington, D.C., last night. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)