Wednesday 14 November 2012

Historic and modern designs

Nowadays recorder players can choose instruments from a wide range of models that reflect the skills of recorder making of the most divers historic periods.

Recorders of the Renaissance and the Early Baroque (1) are recognised by their wide cylindrical bore and comparatively large finger holes. Their exterior is usually plain with only very limited decoration as can be found in those made by Hieronymus F. Kynseker
(1636–1686, Nuremberg). Their characteristic is the full strong sound, particularly in the lower register, that blends well in consort playing: the emphasis at the time was on consort playing rather than on solo repertoire.

Baroque recorders (2) are characterised by a more complex and irregular bore and smaller fingerholes. The exterior of these threepart recorders is decorated with ornamentally turned joints, such as those by Jacob Denner (1681–1735). Their elaborate design and detail make them highly suitable for the virtuosic music of the Baroque era: quick and clear response and flexibility over a range of more than two octaves combined with expressiveness and an even sound throughout all registers.

Harmonic recorders (3) surpass their historic predecessors in their innovative design. Their slightly conical bore combined with the lengthening of the instrument by the addition of keys open up entirely new sound possibilies and extend their range well into the third octave. Our Modern Alto and the Helder recorders were the first models to put this design into practice.
 

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