Recorder

Recorder, woodwind instrument, the predominant European flute from around 1500 to about 1750, revived and mass-produced in the 20th century. It is an end-blown flute with a “fipple”, or whistle, mouthpiece, one that directs air from a mouth hole, through a narrow flue formed by a block set in the bore, and against the sharp edge of a sound hole in the wall. Small recorder-like flutes, apparently of Asian origin, were known in 11th-century Europe. By 1500 the recorder had acquired its present form with seven finger holes and a thumb hole, and recorders were played in chamber music in groups (families) from sopranino to great bass. In the mid-1600s the workshop of the Parisian builder Jean Hotteterre introduced construction in three joints, or sections, with a more pronounced downward taper to the bore. Most orchestral music dating from 1600 to 1750 is scored for the recorder, referred to simply as flute, in contrast to the transverse flute (called German flute), which had displaced the recorder by about 1750. The term “recorder” appeared in England in about 1400. The most common recorders are the alto (or treble), used in much Baroque chamber music and with a compass of about two octaves up from f' (the F above middle C); and the soprano (or descant), used in schools today and with a compass of about two octaves up from c′′ (the C above middle C). Noteworthy pieces for recorder include the Brandenburg Concerto no. 4 by J. S. Bach, seven concertos by Vivaldi, and many sonatas and suites by Georg Philipp Telemann. The recorder is closely related to the flageolet, an instrument popular around 1800.