My modest recorder collection

“Only” 15 recorders…Much or less it seems, my list of needed instruments is far to be accomplished. However, I believe this is a normal case of a recorder player. 

We can assume that the recorder needs and the purchase decisions can be based on these categories: 

Size: sopranino, soprano, alto in f/g, tenor in c/d, bass, great bass, contra-bass

Material: Plastic, different types of wood (pear, cherry, plum, maple, boxwood, rosewood, olive, pallisander, ebony, grenadilla…)

Type of Music/Period: Medieval, Renaissance, Early-baroque, Baroque (German/French/….), “Modern”

Type: Ensemble instruments, Solo instruments

Pitch: 440 (modern pitch), 415 (baroque pitch), renaissance pitches (462/466), French pitch (392/394)….

Taste: Playing in ensembles/Solo

Purpose: Practice (plastic instruments) and Performance (wooden instruments)

Price: low-cost (plastic instruments), middle price (factory-made instruments), and high price (hand-made instruments)

In other words, to fulfill a perfect recorder collection, I would need instruments of all sizes, types, pitches, diverse materials, and for different purposes. Given the various amount of prices, this will remain a dream and maybe a whole-life collection.

However, the choice of instruments depends on the particular needs which may vary on the person, age, music taste, preference, or level. For example, a plastic alto could serve as a practice instrument, someone else can benefit from its intonation stability for a modern music performance. 

In my case, a plastic Yamaha soprano was a perfect instrument to start at the age of 7. When I was 10 (and my fingers big enough), I started to play the plastic alto. For financial reasons, I used plastic recorders even for performance until I entered the conservatory. However, they worked well for improving my musicality. 

After starting the conservatory, I purchased an inexpensive factory-made alto 440 (Moeck) and an Early-baroque soprano (Mollenhauer). These instruments have been making me happy for 8 years and I still use them. 

My first hand-made (and quite expensive) recorder was Alto 415 (boxwood) by a German maker Joachim Rohmer. After several years of playing the basic factory-made instruments, this recorder impressed me by its velvet sound. This is a feature of hand-made instruments: they vary in the color of sound and responsiveness. As in the case of human voice, it is very often hard to say if one instrument sounds better than the other. 

During and (mostly) after finishing my studies, I replenished my stock a little bit and got a baroque soprano and bass. As a lover of earlier music, my choice led also to the Ganassi soprano and g-alto. As a fan of medieval music, I am now enjoying my new Czech folk instruments made by a Czech maker Vít Kašpařík. Currently, I am ordering a transitional tenor and will have to wait a year for it. Usually, the instrument orders (especially the renaissance) can take up to two years. 

However, as the wood is a living material, having beautiful hand-made recorder implies the regular care, such as cleaning, oiling, revoicing, or retuning. For further information, see this video. The temperature and environment can also have an impact on the material. For example, the winter and low temperatures/or a summer humidity can sometimes cause an intonation problem or a crack. 

To complete, the richness of the recorder lies in its diversities.