MI: LIBRARY: INSTRUMENTS: WOODWINDS: RECORDER

History
The recorder is a whistle flute and was notably important to renaissance and baroque music. Bone whistle flutes have existed since antiquity. The wooden recorder, however, can be dated back to the 14th century.

While many other instruments were becoming increasingly complex, the recorder remained very simple. Around 1750, the recorder was replaced in popularity by the orchestral flute. However, in 1919, Arnold Dolmetsch revived the peoples interest in the recorder.

Description
The recorder is a wooden or plastic wind instrument. It has been used in classrooms as teaching devices for a long time, but also was once even more important. It is because the recorder is so commonly used as a teaching aid, that people forget how many terrific works were written for the recorder.

Recorders were very important to Baroque music. They do best in smaller orchestras or ensembles, because their sweet, gentle sound can be easily overwhelmed. When correctly played, the recorder can either have a sound that is uniquely its own, or very flute-like. In fact, the recorder is a vertical flute.What makes it a whistle is its mouthpiece.

The name, recorder, suggests it may have been used to recall tunes and repeat them. Recorders can be found in tiny forms, like the sopranino, or large forms like the great bass. The treble is the most common recorder and is found in classrooms.

Recorder Variations
Tin whistle: The tin whistle is another flute, being a whistle only because of it’s mouthpiece. Aside from being a popular toy, the tin whistle is a fine instrument. It can be made of wood or metal and is often heard in folk music or that of Ireland.

Flageolet: The flageolet, another whistle-flute, is a wooden instrument which can be composed of up to 3 pipes all sharing whine mouthpiece. It is because the instrument can require the user to manage 3 whistles at once, that the flageolet has lost it’s past popularity.

Dvojnice: Like the flageolet, this instrument has two whistles which share a mouthpiece. Using the wooden dvojnice, a musician can even play two tune simultaneously.  

Comments

THIS SITE IS COOL! but do u have more info about the recorder? Thanks, and i LOVE the background music it rocks!!!!

Comments

Greetings Jennifer, I have a question that I hope you can answer. In the movie "The Mission", one of the monks plays a wooden instrument. I don't know if it was a Recorder or an Oboe. However, the music was very beautiful and haunting. Robert Denero was in the film. I realize this is an off beat question. Please help Thank you! Respectfully, Dan Rivera

Comments

Greetings, I have a question that I hope you can answer. In the movie "The Mission", one of the monks plays a wooden instrument. I don't know if it was a Recorder or an Oboe. However, the music was very beautiful and haunting. Robert Denero was in the film. I realize this is an off beat question. Please help Thank you! Respectfully, Dan Rivera