Featured Maker Interview • Moeck

We're pleased to present another Featured Maker interview for this month's Recorder31 programme. During the past century, Moeck have established a reputation as of the biggest recorder makers in the world and they are one of many valued suppliers of The Early Music Shop.

From their base in Celle, Germany, they manufacture recorders for players of all standards from beginner to professional. We caught up with company director Jan Nikolai Haase who, together with members of his team, provided an insight into their instruments and the people behind them.

The Early Music Shop: You’re based in Celle; Germany is arguably one of the epicentres of the recorder making (and playing) scene. Why do you think there are so many renowned manufacturers of recorders based in Germany?

Moeck: As one of the oldest musical instruments, the recorder has a long history. Playing it has been and still is a very popular tradition throughout Germany. Also, Germany is well-known for its so-called “Berufsausbildung”, an educational programme which allows young apprentices to learn a particular craft or profession “on the job” over a period of three years. Throughout these years, apprentices are also enrolled in a professional school that provides a theoretical background in their particular field. This dual education ensures a reliable quality standard for the apprentices, for the companies and for the craft from a macroscopic perspective.

The Moeck workshop in Celle, Germany (Photo credit: moeck.com)

EMS: You produce ranges for both beginners and professionals. Aside from the difference in materials used, how does the manufacturing process differ?

Moeck: The difference lies in the details and in the different concepts as a whole. Beginners need reliable instruments on which players can develop their technique and abilities. Such instruments have to ensure that he or she can focus on primary targets like coordination, blowing technique, fingerings, etc.

More complex instruments like our recorders for professionals offer much more versatile sound characteristics and a higher dynamic potential. This requires players to exercise more control but awards them far more influence. Drawing a conclusion from a maker’s perspective, with growing complexity of an instrument the more handwork is involved in its making.

EMS: The Rottenburgh range is amongst The Early Music Shop’s bestsellers. What do you think makes these recorders so successful?

Moeck: Our Rottenburgh recorder is a very popular recorder as it combines today’s accomplishments in recorder making with one particular and brilliant historical model. Carefully adapted to a very sophisticated and closely monitored manufacturing process, these instrument stand for a reliable and high-quality standard at an affordable price despite a significant amount of handwork that goes into each and every instrument. This attractive combination makes it accessible to a large customer base.

The Rottenburgh is a great instrument for all ages, from Sopranino to Bass recorders, available with optional key sets from the tenor recorder upwards.

A fine selection of different woods completes our Rottenburgh range so that there is a suitable model for every occasion, whether playing in an ensemble or solo.

Moeck Rottenburgh Alto Recorders in order of woods

EMS: Alongside your manufacturing, your commitment to the recorder extends to a successful publishing division and support for the biannual Moeck/SRP Solo Recorder Competition in London. How important is it for you as an instrument manufacturer to support and nurture the next generation of players?

Moeck: We would also add our TIBIA Online magazine for woodwind players and our TIBIA archive (both in German language and free of charge) as well as our biannual recorder seminars held in our hometown in Celle to your list. We also support several events and recorder societies in different ways. Of course, it is important for us to support not only the next generation of musicians, but everyone interested in ‘our’ instrument. And by saying “our instrument” we speak for the entire recorder world. For that matter, we see it as a group effort involving everyone: music and recorder teachers, conservatories, recorder associations, recorder enthusiasts, other makers and our customers, i.e. musical instrument shops.

EMS: Moeck has been a valued supplier and supporter of The Early Music Shop for many decades, and we enjoy catching up with you each November when you join our exhibition stand at the London International Festival of Early Music. What’s your favourite thing about travelling to exhibitions and meeting your customers?

Moeck: Travelling to exhibitions is always important for us. It gives us opportunity to interact directly with our customers and to receive feedback on our products and at the same time we can observe customer demands and gather information about market developments. However, it is equally important for us to provide customers with our service, whether they are looking for a new instrument or need any other sort of advice on their instruments or their maintenance. We also see recorder exhibitions as one of the best opportunities to promote the recorder itself. When joining you at LIFEM, where a large part of the recorder community is coming together, every year it becomes evident that there are a lot of people sharing the same passion. Festivals such as LIFEM follow and support this passion and we consider this to contribute towards the group effort we mentioned in your last question.

Moeck recorders on display at The Early Music Shop's exhibition stand

EMS: At the end of this decade, Moeck will reach its centenary. This must be a big milestone for the company, during which time you will have been witness to a lot of changes in the recorder manufacturing world. Do you foresee any significant changes in the coming years?

Moeck: We have certainly been there for quite a while and looking back there are literally thousands of memories we could share. Of course, there have been many changes and developments over the years, and we do not expect this to come to a halt in the future. As in the past we are trying to be attentive and so far, we are quite satisfied with how things have turned out for us and with the positive reputation we have earned with our instruments and service. But the answer to your question is multidimensional and therefore difficult to put in a nutshell. To name one, and it has always been that way, a key factor for the past, present and future is our staff. We consider ourselves fortunate to have very capable and experienced people working with us and we believe to be well prepared for everything yet to come.