Recorders are an integral part of woodwind musical instruments, which were popular and became the star of the concerts before the 19th century.
They belong to the internal duct flute group and are also called fipple flutes.
They have a rich history and plenty of stories to say.
Several interesting facts revolve around the recorders and let’s have a look into them in detail.
1. Recorders are available in various sizes
Recorders come in different sizes. There are 5 types of recorders that have gained much popularity.
Sopranino, Soprano (also known as Descant), Alto(also called Treble), Tenor, and bass are the various recorders available in the market.
The Soprano recorders are even more significant and used in schools for kids.
2. They behold historical significance
The oldest recorder was used in 1388. This was a pipe called ‘recordour’ introduced in Germany.
The first recorder was about 256mm in length and made up of plumwood.
The ancient recorders were carved from wood and ivory.
Clarinet and even Tuba were invented centuries after the invention of recorders.
3. Recorders have evolved from Wood to Plastic
Earlier, the recorders were made up of material from various kinds of wood, namely, Olivewood, Maplewood, Pearwood, Rosewood, Ebony, Plumwood, Kingwood, and Boxwood.
However, nowadays, the recorders are made using bakelite and plastic, making them handy and light.
These have also made the recorders easy to use, play, and handle.
4. King Henry VIII had a collection of recorders
King Henry VIII was also a great composer. He had about 76 recorders in his total collection.
Due to their limited range, many recorders were played together to make it audible.
It was his hobby to collect the instruments and let the professional record masters play them in the concerts.
5. Flute took over the position of recorders
Recorders are played outward from the lips whereas flute is played along sides. A recorder is also called a transverse flute.
The flute was introduced to the market in the 19th century, which threatened the recorders since they lacked volume and range.
However, early music lovers still save the recorders.
6. Recorders work like whistles
The sound pattern of the recorder resembles that of whistles.
When the player blows to the windway, air travels around the labium which moves the waves in the bore and produces sound.
The feedback from the resonance tunes the pitch of the sound produced.
It also has multiple vibration modes.
7. They remain as the best choice in elementary schools
Recorders are widely chosen in schools for kids.
This is because they are the cheapest sources and available in bulk.
These were first introduced in elementary schools of Germany by Carl Orff, A German composer.
Recorders are usually easy to manage and play, and convenient for the kids to handle.
8. People call them with different names
The recorder is called by different names in different languages.
In the Italian language, it is Flauto dolce, While in English and European languages they are called both recorder and flute.
In the German language, they are termed as Block flote, and in French, they are called flute a bec.
9. You can know their pitch from their size
Every size denotes different pitch and bass ranges.
Alto recorders have the highest pitch, the recorder range is 2 octaves.
The modern recorders have a pitch of 440Hz. The pitch range decreases with an increase in recorder size.
The great Bass recorders are twice the length of the Tenor recorders.
10. The largest recorder is as tall as a giraffe
The smallest recorder played ever is Sopranino and was 24 cm long, while the largest recorder is contrabass which is 152 cm long.
However, the fully-functioning recorder is 5 meters long.
It was made from pine with 8.5 cm wide holes and it was as tall as a giraffe.
11. The recorder has 7 holes and a thumbhole
A typical recorder has 7 holes and a thumbhole.
You can have 2 free fingers while playing the instrument.
These are the little finger in the left hand and the thumb in the right hand. Every part of a recorder is called a joint.
A recorder is made up of a windway , head joint, middle joint, and foot joint.
12. There are modern designs that make recorders versatile
The modern designs of recorders are cheap and large with great dynamic range and good lower notes.
This makes them easier to hear in concerts.
There are designs with square cross-sections and downward extension of a semitone that makes them more audible.
They are playable for up to 3 octaves.
Bonus Fact:
13. The recorder had appeared in Shakespeare’s Hamlet
The recorder has appeared in the third act of William Shakespeare hamlet where a character asks about playing it. It was used as a metaphor which said,’’ tis as easy as typing’’.
It is evident that recorders existed long back and were pampered by the ancient musicians and music lovers.
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