Robert Paul Block, age 22

BOB BLOCK: A PHOTO GALLERY

3 photos of Bob: with Aardvark flutes, and in front of his house in Iowa City


These photos were taken by Bob's friend Cleo, who says, "He and I were good friends, having become acquainted through the Collegium at U.of Iowa back in 1972 -1975."

Bob with his "left-handed sewer-flute." Bob and his friend Peter Nothnagle had been unimpressed with the quality, and especially the tuning, of the imitation renaissance flutes on the market at that time, and decided to try making their own, using plastic plumber's tubing in different widths, and corks donated by their wine-drinking friends. Bob and Peter spent a lot of time experimenting with width and length, sizes and shapes of the holes, and the feathering of the edges of the holes in order to make each and every flute play reliably on pitch. The sold entire consorts of soprano, alto, tenor and bass flutes for several years under the name "Aardvark Fluteworks." (He once received a catalog in the mail addressed to "Mr. and Mrs. Aardvark Flutewo.")

The third photo is taken in front of the house on Linn Street in Iowa City, which was gradually being swallowed by man-eating trees.




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