... it was to be done. And, for some reason, flute-players were considered essential for a funeral. Matthew mentions them in connection with this story. Throughout most of the ancient world, the flute was somehow inseparably connected with death and tragedy. (I wonder how James Galway feels about that? ) It was said that no matter how poor a man was, he was to have at least two flute-players at his wife’s funeral. In addition, there were all sorts of rules and regulations about how families were to comport ...
