Recorders
The recorder, or "block-flute" in some languages, is an end-blown flute, with a wooden block mounted at the upper end of the air tube. There is a thin slit between the block and the tube, between which the air passes to the dividing edge. The mouthpiece is tapered, and resembles a beak; indeed it is sometimes called a "beak-flute." They have been around for at least a thousand years, being quite popular in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, then almost became extinct when they were replaced in orchestras by transverse flutes. In 1919, Arnold Dolmetsch made a revival recorder as part of an effort to reconstruct obsolete instruments so that the music originally written for them could be heard in the appropriate context. Later, Dolmetsch's son Carl improved the instrument so that it could play effectively with modern orchestras. Shortly after its rebirth, inexpensive plastic recorders appeared, and have been used in schools since the 1930s.
Incidentally, the name "recorder" is used only in the English language, and refers to "record" in the sense of recalling a tune to mind and repeating it.
Until 1470, recorders had six equidistant soundholes and a thumbhole. The modern recorder usually has seven sound holes, which are partly or totally covered by the fingertips in different combinations to produce the notes. In the lower register (the lower octave) the sound is soft. The upper register sound is more penetrating, as it is produced by a combination of "overblowing" (blowing harder) and fingering.
From the time of the Renaissance on, recorders were made in various sizes, to be played in ensembles. Soprano, alto, tenor, and bass recorders are illustrated below. Other sizes (e.g., sopranino, contra-bass) can also be found.
Information Sources
Information on this page was derived from the following sources:
Kruckenberg, Sven (1993): The Symphony Orchestra and its Instruments. Gothenburg, Sweden: AB Nordbok (Crescent Books edition distributed by Random House).
Wade-Matthews, Max (2000): The World Encyclopedia of Musical Instruments. London, UK and New York, NY: Lorenz Books.
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