Recorder
From Metapedia
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes — whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle and ocarina. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple. It is distinguished from other members of the family by having holes for seven fingers (the lower one or two often doubled to facilitate the production of semitones) and one for the thumb of the uppermost hand. The bore of the recorder is occasionally cylindrical but is usually tapered slightly, being widest at the mouthpiece end.
The recorder was popular from medieval times but declined in the eighteenth century in favour of orchestral woodwind instruments, such as the flute, oboe, and the clarinet, which have greater chromatic and dynamic range. During its heyday, the recorder was traditionally associated with birds, shepherds, miraculous events, funerals, marriages and amorous scenes. Images of recorders can be found in literature and artwork associated with all these. Purcell, Bach, Telemann and Vivaldi used the recorder to suggest shepherds and birds, and the pattern continued into the 20th century.
The recorder was revived in the twentieth century, partly in the pursuit of historically informed performance of early music, but also because of its suitability as a simple instrument for teaching music and its appeal to amateur players. Today, it is often thought of as a child's instrument, but there are many excellent virtuosic players who can demonstrate the instrument's full potential as a solo instrument. The sound of the recorder is remarkably clear and sweet, partly because of the lack of upper harmonics and predominance of odd harmonics in the sound.
[edit] External links
- Hampshire Recorder Sinfonia - "The Recorder Family Tree" includes musical examples, pictures, and ranges. This is an excellent resource for recorder enthusiasts and music educators.
- Recorder Home Page - a comprehensive website devoted to the recorder.
- Instrument of Torture or Instrument of Music? - an extensive overview of the recorder.
- Original Instruments, Makers and Collections - comprehensive databases with details of 1,337 historical recorders, 3336 makers and 246 instrument collections.
- Recorder Makers - a comprehensive database of 262 current recorder makers, with contact details and notes on their instruments
- Recorder Technique - a guide to sources of information on recorder technique
- Recorder Iconography - an extensive descriptive catalogue of over 4,000 artworks depicting the recorder
- Recorded Recorders - an extensive database of over 7,300 recordings featuring the recorder
- Literary and Theatrical References - a database with details of 377 literary and theatrical references to the recorder
- The Recorder Player's Page - a web site with various utilities, articles and free recorder sheet music
- Stichting Blokfluit - two very comprehensive catalogues with the original titles from ±1550 till today.
- Recorder Fingerings - recorder fingering charts and trill charts.
- Dolmetsch method - a free and comprehensive but still in progress online recorder method.
- Recorder Societies - a database with details of 271 societies devoted to the recorder worldwide
- American Recorder Society - ARS homepage
- Society of Recorder Players - nationwide organisation of recorder groups in the United Kingdom
- Reconstructed bone flutes, sound sample and playing instructions
- How the recorder works
- Access to IMSLP: 12 collections totaling 1000 free downloadable recorder solos with historical notes
- Recorder Trills, Turned Trills, and Turns
