Hall of Woodwinds: Renaissance Recorders

Bass Recorder (Bb, approx. A=460) (temporarily removed)

Great Bass Recorder (F, approx. A=460) (temporarily removed)

Renaissance Recorders:

Renaissance recorders were popular throughout Europe from about 1500 to 1650. They were among the most popular "consort" instruments, meaning that they were played in groups (or consorts). A typical consort for renaissance recorders would be made up of one alto, two tenors, and a bass instrument. Michael Praetorius, writing in 1618, expressed a preference for a consort made up of a tenor, two bass recorders, and a great bass. Praetorius also mentions an "ideal" consort made up of 21 instruments, made in 7 different sizes. He illustrated these instruments in his encyclopedic "Syntagma Musicum".

These instruments were meant to play in small groups at one time--the alto-tenor-tenor-bass consort mentioned above would be played together, just as a tenor-bass-bass-great bass consort would have been used to provide contrast and variety.

The renaissance recorder in the 20th Century

The second half of the century has seen a huge revival of interest in early music, especially that of the recorder. Most of that interest has been focused on primarily solo instruments such as the baroque recorder. A few dedicated professional builders make reproductions of renaissance recorders, but sadly none of the major companies (even those with recorder lines called "renaissance") have produced instruments which bear much resemblance to the original.

Notes for the illustrations:

These images are entirely computer generated, rendered with Persistence Of Vision raytracer version 3.0., a free (and excellent) ray-tracer. The models used to generate these images were based on measurements I and many others have made from the original instruments. I have attempted to make them as accurate as possible--usually well beyond the resolution of the rendered image--still, remember that these are reproductions, and not images of the original instrument, with whatever artistic license that implies.

I have begun using full scale, orthogonal renderings similar to these in my shop as working drawings (I was once a professional woodwind builder, and still build for pleasure)--turning details are particularly well visualized in 3D, such as the smooth curves needed for bells. Another advantage is that I can mark up the color print-outs without damaging the original (coffee cup rings are a particular hazard here in Seattle!).

One other note: I'll be glad to post source files (since these can be of interest to other members of the graphics community and other builders) for images that are based on my own measurements of instruments in private collections. As for instruments that are in museums, bear in mind that all these files contain actual measurements of real instruments--out of respect to the museums and other builders who have been so generous over the years, I can't publish these files without the express permission of the museums where the originals reside.

I will do my best to include contact information so that you can get more detailed information directly from the source--the museum that houses the specific instrument.

Last modified: 03/14/07

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