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Jacaranda wood lends its extraordinary beauty to this quena flute. Crafted by hand, it is a legacy of the Inca, an indispensable instrument in today's traditional Peruvian music. Benito Tito perforates holes of different widths to ensure a sweet sound and tunes it to 440. The mouthpiece is carved from bone and its case emulates pre-Hispanic textiles.
Now in his seventies, Benito has had cataract surgery but now faces glaucoma. Work is more difficult for him but he refuses to give up. The income from the sales of his musical instruments help him care for his wife who can no longer care for herself, pay for his grandchildren’s education and maintain his dignity. He is grateful that the orders for his work have increased since joining Novica.
For generations, the Tito family legacy has helped to preserve the musical traditions of the Peruvian Andes. The art of crafting musical instruments to produce the haunting music indigenous to this region has been passed from father to son. Benito is now an elder master. He embraces every opportunity to teach younger artisans the vast array of skills required to handcraft a musical instrument and proudly incorporates local materials, such as jungle bamboo, into his designs.
Whenever Benito has a large order or many orders to fill at the same time, he hires other craftspeople to help him. He especially likes to give work to those who are from his hometown of Puno - he likes to be able to share the income this work brings with others in his community.
Now in his seventies, Benito is entirely dependent upon Novica sales. The income derived from the sales of his musical instruments support him, his wife and his grandchildren. He also gives work to other artisans when he needs help to meet the demand for his work.
As Benito's sales have grown through Novica, he has been able to hire other artisans to help meet the demand for his handcrafted instruments. He has trained many of them in this traditional craft and prides himself on preserving this traditional Peruvian art form.
Now in his seventies, Benito lives with one of his children and their children. Their parents provide for their children's food and clothing and Benito proudly pays for his grandchildren's education, even though he often struggles to do so.
This artist is an elder master and continues to actively practice their craft.
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20 Artisans Impacted
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06/20/2016
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Awesome and authentic work of art.
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Quena and carrying case are beautiful, very well made, the service was excellent and the instrument arrived exactly when expected. I am new to playing quena, professional on other instruments. This instrument plays in tune. With my beginning player skill level I got an F# major scale for the bottom octave (the instrument will play higher with a more skilled player). Therefore I was able to play Amazing Grace in B major, using the bottom octave of the quena. The tip to use the pinkie to hold the quena when the holes are uncovered came in very handy for the top notes of the song. The quena is resonant and produces a wonderful rich tone. My daughter loved it so the quena is hers now. I need to save up for one for me or borrow it back! Thank you Benito for making this wonderful instrument. We love it. I hope you are able to continue making traditional instruments.
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Wonderful artistic instrument. It is a great addition to my wind instruments.
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36 Artisans Impacted
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07/31/2018
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Love it now only if i can play it better.
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This is a beautiful flute, kind of a medium chocolate brown with dark stripes. The flute body is crafted all in one piece. The bone mouth piece is smooth and glossy. It sounds wonderful and with more practice I will sound good also. Thank you very much for making this flute I love it very much!
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"Aiding in the preservation of our musical heritage is my family's legacy. We have carefully crafted traditional instruments for generations."
TVM, Kerala, India
USA
William
