Videos like this are really valuable! I only add that the double holes in the two lowest notes are not found in any original baroque recorder and are only a modern "adjustment", perhaps inspired by original models of baroque oboes, where they are present but in other positions.
Double holes are found on some original baroque recorders, but these are rarer than those with single holes. Arnold(I think) Dolmetsch did invent them himself, unaware they had actually been used in the baroque period. Before that, he inserted a ring into the hole on the foot joint to alter the pitch for one particular piece, which could be a handy trick for someone playing an accurate replica instrument without double holes.
@@luckybag6814 Yes, double holes in recorders can also be found in some baroque recorders but they are as rare as whiteflies and mostly made by Peter Bressan; however, they are different from the standard double holes of modern recorders, you can find them generally or only in the foot joint (F/F#) and also together with the G/G/# and only in a Bressan model, also in the C /C#.
Brava! Lovely explanation of how the recorder is NOT just a toy for primary schoolers! In your discussion of the evolution of the instrument, you miss what's possibly the most important development of the Baroque recorder: the conical bore. A Ganassi recorder will have a much stronger voice, particularly in the lower register, but a very limited range - Renaissance composers generally confined themselves to F4-A5. The conical bore also gave the instrument a sweeter and more delicate timbre, greatly favoured in small ensembles. Alas, that was to prove its demise - as composers in the nineteenth century moved to ever bigger orchestras and more dramatic contrasts, the recorder simply lacked the power to balance them, and composers wrote for the traverso instead. (Yes, I know there was a Romantic recorder of sorts- I've played the Heberle C-major sonata, for instance - but it was nearly entirely eclipsed by the flute.)
you said the recorder came in three pieces so you (the player) could tune better.... wasn't it moreso so that the bore could be carved more accurately (as well as different angles on the pieces) like with the flute that went from 1 to 3 to 4 pieces for the same reason
I think it did make the manufacturing easier but also I know traversos were made into more parts so that different middle sections could be made for the various tuning conventions of the time. Corps de rechange.
Don't forget Spanish, as in Italian, "Flauta Dulce". Before learning English,I always wondered why in English, it was called like that, a recorder? Something that records sounds?? Hehe. Now, it makes sense. Amazing video as usual. Keep it there. 100% following you guys. ❤
Tho as far as I know, the name recorder comes not from the musicians remembering their songs, and instead from the recorder being used to train birds to sing those melodies at courts, which was called recording
I see this instrument in ENM UNAM, another like Baroque Guitar, and other, i have a Flauta Dulce in México play this instrument, Do your instrument is make of wood ? I dont know the name of flutte in English, sometime ear recorder in the School, but i m sick another time, thanks for your class
Lovely presentation. But eh, I think the story on the double holes is a little more complicated. Aren't those really a Dolmetsch innovation? In many pictures of historic instruments I see single holes.
There are a handful of historical recorders with double holes, about half of them being recorders by Bressan. Unlike the modern ones, they were usually equally sized holes to facilitate playing left or right handed. There are a few with the holes set of different sizes but they’re designed for left handed players. Sometimes double holes would only be present on the foot joint, other times it would be on the 2 lowest and in only one case I know of, on the 3rd hole as well.
Double holes are found on some baroque instruments, but Arnold (I think) Dolmetsch was unaware of these instruments, so yes, he did genuinely invent them himself, even if he wasn’t the first to invent them. Before he thought of the double hole he inserted a ring into the hole of the foot joint, effectively reducing the size and altering the pitch, to make a particular piece easier to play with reliable intonation.
I was waiting this video for so long! Thanks for sharing. In Brazilian Portuguese it is called "flauta doce" (sweet, mellow flute) referring thus to the sweetness of its sound.
I always admire Baroque musicians . She is phenomenal. Superior musicianship. Now if only these beautiful instruments would do their part and cooperate more to stay in tune.
Good quality recorders are well tuned, and professional players have no problem in staying in tune. The trick about the recorder is that it is very sensitive to breath, which is why beginners have many blips and squeaks, but like any other instrument, there is technique to learn and master
The division of the recorder into two or three parts is mainly to make it possible to drill the cylindrical bore. It would be necessary to use several different bore bits. Also, the length of the bit was limited by the variations in the conicity of the bore.
Im a classically trained floutist. I have never understood why musicians thing body "english" iss necessary to play their instrument. Ive always thought that waving amd swaying looked stupid.
I am soooooo excited that you guys made this video!!! The recorder is such a wonderful instrument, and very underrated by much of the world. Huzzah!!!!❤❤❤❤❤
Interesting that the Samartini solo part was written in F fingering making the descant a transposing instrument. Nowadays we have to cope with 5 systems of fingering! Yes, 5! C and F in treble clef and C and F in Bass clef. Plus choral when in ensemble i. e. playing the treble an octave higher than written!
In French, we differentiate between a recorder and a flute by calling one une flûte à bec and the other une flûte transverse (i.e. transverse flute). At least in my dialect!
Let's play a game If you play a Sopranino pls comment 😊 If you play a Soprano pls comment 😁 If you play Alto pls comment 😅 If you play Tenor pls comment ☺️ And if you play Bass Recorder pls comment 👑 I would be 😊😁😅☺️
I was first introduced to the recorder as a boy in French speaking Switzerland and it was called a “Flute Douce”. I still have my instrument. It only has single holes for the lowest two holes and is only made in two parts.
My teacher, a certain Layton Ring, said that Arnold Dolmetsch, who was largely responsible for the rediscovery of the instrument, decided to call it a 'recorder'. He found the term in some old text, I can't remember which. My teacher used to work with the Dolmetsch family but sadly Layton passed away four years ago. Any way, thanks for an interesting and informative video. You play beautifully and I love the gentler attack that one can get with slightly softer woods. I mean softer than the darker woods like grenadilla. Thank you!
@@annabelwaterfield6108 Really? Can you remember where? I read it ages ago and don't remember seeing it but that's probably just because it has been so long. I would be less surprised to find it in a text form the Renaissance than in one from the Baroque, though. In the Baroque it was always called a flute.
