Alto recorders - compared by Sarah Jeffery

The Rottenburgh range is without doubt the world's most successful recorder series and remains one of The Early Music Shop's top sellers. This Rottenburgh recorder is an unwaveringly reliable instrument with a carrying tone, whether played in small or large ensembles. It also lends itself perfectly for solo pieces, e.g. for sonatas with basso continuo. The Rottenburgh is the ideal all rounder: reliable, balanced and with a full, expressive tone. The Rottenburgh is the instrument of choice for recorder players wishing to play music at an advanced level. This immensely popular range of recorders was originally designed by Friederich von Huene after models by Belgian maker Jean-Hyacinth-Joseph Rottenburgh (1672-1756). Versatile, reliable and used by all levels of players, Rottenburgh owners enjoy instruments made to consistently high standards. This best-selling Moeck 4308 Rottenburgh alto is made from rosewood from Honduras . Amongst the densest of the woods used in the Rottenburgh range, rosewood has a heavy attractive grain. (Specific density approx. 1.05) The instrument has a strong professional-level sound rich in overtones. This Rottenburgh recorder comes with a hard case, cleaning rod and cloth, cork grease, fingering chart and maintenance instructions. It is also supplied with a free Moeck Z0002 maintenance set (recorder oil, oil brush, anti-condensant, paintbrush, maintenance manual) worth £21.50. Product Features: Baroque fingering Double holes 3-piece Made of rosewood Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes case, cleaning rod, cork grease and fingering chart Includes free maintenance set (oil, brushes, anti-condensant etc) 3 year warranty

The Rottenburgh range is without doubt the world's most successful recorder series and remains one of The Early Music Shop's top sellers. This Rottenburgh recorder is an unwaveringly reliable instrument with a carrying tone, whether played in small or large ensembles. It also lends itself perfectly for solo pieces, e.g. for sonatas with basso continuo. The Rottenburgh is the ideal all rounder: reliable, balanced and with a full, expressive tone. The Rottenburgh is the instrument of choice for recorder players wishing to play music at an advanced level. This immensely popular range of recorders was originally designed by Friederich von Huene after models by Belgian maker Jean-Hyacinth-Joseph Rottenburgh (1672-1756). Versatile, reliable and used by all levels of players, Rottenburgh owners enjoy instruments made to consistently high standards. The best-selling Moeck 4307 Rottenburgh alto is made from grenadilla (African blackwood), a very hard and extremely dense wood. (Specific density approx 1.2) The dense wood offers a bright, rich sound, with powerful projection, making it ideally suited for solo performance. This Rottenburgh recorder comes with a hard case, cleaning rod and cloth, cork grease, fingering chart and maintenance instructions. It is also supplied with a free Moeck Z0002 maintenance set (recorder oil, oil brush, anti-condensant, paintbrush, maintenance manual) worth £21.50. Product Features: Baroque fingering Double holes 3-piece Made of grenadilla Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes case, cleaning rod, cork grease and fingering chart Includes free maintenance set (oil, brushes, anti-condensant etc) 3 year warranty Listen to this recorder! Vivaldi La Notte: Your browser does not support the audio element. Bach Sarabande: Your browser does not support the audio element. Scale: Your browser does not support the audio element.

The Rottenburgh range is without doubt the world's most successful recorder series and remains one of The Early Music Shop's top sellers. This Rottenburgh recorder is an unwaveringly reliable instrument with a carrying tone, whether played in small or large ensembles. It also lends itself perfectly for solo pieces, e.g. for sonatas with basso continuo. The Rottenburgh is the ideal all rounder: reliable, balanced and with a full, expressive tone. The Rottenburgh is the instrument of choice for recorder players wishing to play music at an advanced level. This immensely popular range of recorders was originally designed by Friederich von Huene after models by Belgian maker Jean-Hyacinth-Joseph Rottenburgh (1672-1756). Versatile, reliable and used by all levels of players, Rottenburgh owners enjoy instruments made to consistently high standards. This best-selling Moeck 4306 Rottenburgh alto is made from East African olivewood - this is a dense, attractively marked wood with a marbled appearance. (Specific density approx. 0.89) The recorder produces a full, rich tone capable of beautiful, expressive performance in both ensemble and solo settings. This Rottenburgh recorder comes with a hard case, cleaning rod and cloth, cork grease, fingering chart and maintenance instructions. It is also supplied with a free Moeck Z0002 maintenance set (recorder oil, oil brush, anti-condensant, paintbrush, maintenance manual) worth £21.50. Product Features: Baroque fingering Double holes 3-piece Made of olivewood Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes case, cleaning rod, cork grease and fingering chart Includes free maintenance set (oil, brushes, anti-condensant etc) 3 year warranty Listen to this recorder! Vivaldi La Notte: Your browser does not support the audio element. Bach Sarabande: Your browser does not support the audio element. Scale: Your browser does not support the audio element.

KUN2414 Küng's Superio series is based on original recorders by Stanesby Jnr. They have a wide, baroque bore which produces a strong sound, rich in overtones. These recorders have a large expressive range and will cope with the most demanding repertoire. The Superio recorders are highly ergonomic, with great attention given to comfort and the ease of fingering. This alto recorder is made of stained castello boxwood and comes in a hard case with a cleaning rod, cork grease and maintenance instructions Baroque fingering Double holes 3-Piece Made of stained boxwood Wax impregnation Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes hard case, cleaning stick, cork grease, and fingering chart 3 year warranty

Mollenhauer 5220 Denner alto f', palisander. In 2002, three years after the death of perhaps one of the greatest recorder makers Fred Morgan, Mollenhauer and the Morgan family began working together on a design of Denner alto to add to Mollenhauer’s already established and award winning Denner series. This partnership has resulted in high quality, well designed instruments becoming available to a wide circle of players. Morgan based his alto design on an instrument by Jacob Denner (1681-1735) from the Copenhagen Museum and undertook the complicated task of converting it into an instrument at a=440 whilst still retaining the essential characteristics of the original design. After years of careful research he designed a brilliant instrument that was faithful to the original in all but pitch. Based on this design, Mollenhauer present an instrument whose design features include a specially stabilised block to help prevent swelling and blocking and a curved windway with concave internal surfaces to make tonal variation easier to produce. With a clear upper octave and stable low notes this instrument also has a clear and full tone. The Mollenhauer Denner series (soprano) won the highly acclaimed German Music Instrument award in 1999. This recorder comes with a cotton bag with leather trim, cleaning rod and cloth, cork grease, fingering chart and maintenance instructions. Baroque fingering Double hole 3-piece Made of palisander Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes cotton bag, cleaning rod, cork grease and fingering chart Oil Included 3 year warranty Listen to this recorder! Vivaldi La Notte: Your browser does not support the audio element. Bach Sarabande: Your browser does not support the audio element. Scale: Your browser does not support the audio element.

The Rottenburgh range is without doubt the world's most successful recorder series and remains one of The Early Music Shop's top sellers. This Rottenburgh recorder is an unwaveringly reliable instrument with a carrying tone, whether played in small or large ensembles. It also lends itself perfectly for solo pieces, e.g. for sonatas with basso continuo. The Rottenburgh is the ideal all rounder: reliable, balanced and with a full, expressive tone. The Rottenburgh is the instrument of choice for recorder players wishing to play music at an advanced level. This immensely popular range of recorders was originally designed by Friederich von Huene after models by Belgian maker Jean-Hyacinth-Joseph Rottenburgh (1672-1756). Versatile, reliable and used by all levels of players, Rottenburgh owners enjoy instruments made to consistently high standards. This best-selling Moeck 4305 Rottenburgh alto is made from palisander (Brazilian rosewood) , a naturally oily wood of even density. (Specific density approx. 0.88) Amongst the densest of the woods in the Rottenburgh range, this instrument produces an excellently warm, round sound, rich in overtones and capable of powerful solo and ensemble performances. This Rottenburgh recorder comes with a hard case, cleaning rod and cloth, cork grease, fingering chart and maintenance instructions. It is also supplied with a free Moeck Z0002 maintenance set (recorder oil, oil brush, anti-condensant, paintbrush, maintenance manual) worth £21.50. Product Features: Baroque fingering Double holes 3-piece Made of palisander Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes case, cleaning rod, cork grease and fingering chart Includes free maintenance set (oil, brushes, anti-condensant etc) 3 year warranty Listen to this recorder! Vivaldi La Notte: Your browser does not support the audio element. Bach Sarabande: Your browser does not support the audio element. Scale: Your browser does not support the audio element.

KUN2401 Küng's Superio series is based on original recorders by Stanesby Jnr. They have a wide, baroque bore which produces a strong sound, rich in overtones. These recorders have a large expressive range and will cope with the most demanding repertoire. The Superio recorders are highly ergonomic, with great attention given to comfort and the ease of fingering. This alto recorder is made of pearwood and comes in a hard case with a cleaning rod, cork grease and maintenance instructions. Baroque fingering Double holes 3-Piece Made of pearwood Wax impregnation Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes hard case, cleaning stick, cork grease, and fingering chart 3 year warranty Listen to this recorder! Vivaldi La Notte: Your browser does not support the audio element. Bach Sarabande: Your browser does not support the audio element. Scale: Your browser does not support the audio element.

Mollenhauer 5222 Denner alto f', boxwood. In 2002, three years after the death of perhaps one of the greatest recorder makers Fred Morgan, Mollenhauer and the Morgan family began working together on a design of Denner alto to add to Mollenhauer’s already established and award winning Denner series. This partnership has resulted in high quality, well designed instruments becoming available to a wide circle of players. Morgan based his alto design on an instrument by Jacob Denner (1681-1735) from the Copenhagen Museum and undertook the complicated task of converting it into an instrument at a=440 whilst still retaining the essential characteristics of the original design. After years of careful research he designed a brilliant instrument that was faithful to the original in all but pitch. Based on this design, Mollenhauer present an instrument whose design features include a specially stabilised block to help prevent swelling and blocking and a curved windway with concave internal surfaces to make tonal variation easier to produce. With a clear upper octave and stable low notes this instrument also has a clear and full tone. The Mollenhauer Denner series (soprano) won the highly acclaimed German Music Instrument award in 1999. This recorder comes with a cotton bag with leather trim, cleaning rod and cloth, cork grease, fingering chart and maintenance instructions. Baroque fingering Double hole 3-piece Made of boxwood Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes cotton bag, cleaning rod, cork grease and fingering chart Oil Included 3 year warranty Listen to this recorder! Vivaldi La Notte: Your browser does not support the audio element. Bach Sarabande: Your browser does not support the audio element. Scale: Your browser does not support the audio element.

The Rottenburgh range is without doubt the world's most successful recorder series and remains one of The Early Music Shop's top sellers. This Rottenburgh recorder is an unwaveringly reliable instrument with a carrying tone, whether played in small or large ensembles. It also lends itself perfectly for solo pieces, e.g. for sonatas with basso continuo. The Rottenburgh is the ideal all rounder: reliable, balanced and with a full, expressive tone. The Rottenburgh is the instrument of choice for recorder players wishing to play music at an advanced level. This immensely popular range of recorders was originally designed by Friederich von Huene after models by Belgian maker Jean-Hyacinth-Joseph Rottenburgh (1672-1756). Versatile, reliable and used by all levels of players, Rottenburgh owners enjoy instruments made to consistently high standards. The best-selling Moeck 4304 Rottenburgh alto is made from Castello boxwood from Venezuela - with an even grain and density. (Specific density 0.80) This medium-density wood produces a clean, even tone with beautiful clarity for solo work and plenty of warmth and depth for ensemble playing. This Rottenburgh recorder comes with a hard case, cleaning rod and cloth, cork grease, fingering chart and maintenance instructions. It is also supplied with a free Moeck Z0002 maintenance set (recorder oil, oil brush, anti-condensant, paintbrush, maintenance manual) worth £21.50. Product Features: Baroque fingering Double holes 3-piece Made of boxwood Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes case, cleaning rod, cork grease and fingering chart Includes free maintenance set (oil, brushes, anti-condensant etc) 3 year warranty Listen to this recorder! Vivaldi La Notte: Your browser does not support the audio element. Bach Sarabande: Your browser does not support the audio element. Scale: Your browser does not support the audio element.

Mollenhauer 5206 Denner alto f', pearwood. In 2002, three years after the death of perhaps one of the greatest recorder makers Fred Morgan, Mollenhauer and the Morgan family began working together on a design of Denner alto to add to Mollenhauer’s already established and award winning Denner series. This partnership has resulted in high quality, well designed instruments becoming available to a wide circle of players. Morgan based his alto design on an instrument by Jacob Denner (1681-1735) from the Copenhagen Museum and undertook the complicated task of converting it into an instrument at a=440 whilst still retaining the essential characteristics of the original design. After years of careful research he designed a brilliant instrument that was faithful to the original in all but pitch. Based on this design, Mollenhauer present an instrument whose design features include a specially stabilised block to help prevent swelling and blocking and a curved windway with concave internal surfaces to make tonal variation easier to produce. With a clear upper octave and stable low notes this instrument also has a clear and full tone. The Mollenhauer Denner series (soprano) won the highly acclaimed German Music Instrument award in 1999. This recorder comes with a cotton bag with leather trim, cleaning rod and cloth, cork grease, fingering chart and maintenance instructions. Baroque fingering Double hole 3-piece Made of pearwood Wax impregnation Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes cotton bag, cleaning rod, cork grease and fingering chart 3 year warranty Listen to this recorder! Vivaldi La Notte: Your browser does not support the audio element. Bach Sarabande: Your browser does not support the audio element. Scale: Your browser does not support the audio element.

KUN1403 This alto is made of cherrywood which has clear, strong soundnotes. The recorder is in baroque fingering and has a wide bore. Küng's Studio series has proven to be popular with all levels of players providing a high quality instrument at a reasonable price. They have a full sound, balanced tone, and a good, easy response in all registers. Their clear, warm sound is well-suited for ensemble playing. This Studio alto comes complete with canvas bag, cleaning rod, fingering chart and maintenance instructions. Baroque fingering Double holes 3-Piece Made of cherrywood Wax impregnation Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes soft bag, cleaning stick, manual and fingering chart 3 year warranty Listen to this recorder! Vivaldi La Notte: Your browser does not support the audio element. Bach Sarabande: Your browser does not support the audio element. Scale: Your browser does not support the audio element.

The Rottenburgh range is without doubt the world's most successful recorder series and remains one of The Early Music Shop's top sellers. This Rottenburgh recorder is an unwaveringly reliable instrument with a carrying tone, whether played in small or large ensembles. It also lends itself perfectly for solo pieces, e.g. for sonatas with basso continuo. The Rottenburgh is the ideal all rounder: reliable, balanced and with a full, expressive tone. The Rottenburgh is the instrument of choice for recorder players wishing to play music at an advanced level. This immensely popular range of recorders was originally designed by Friederich von Huene after models by Belgian maker Jean-Hyacinth-Joseph Rottenburgh (1672-1756). Versatile, reliable and used by all levels of players, Rottenburgh owners enjoy instruments made to consistently high standards. This best-selling Moeck 4302 Rottenburgh alto is made from European pearwood , a hard wood of even, moderate density and fine texture (Specific density approx. 0.65) This wood produces a soft fundamental tone, ideally suited for both ensemble performance and solo work. The wood is impregnated, meaning there is no need for further oiling. This Rottenburgh recorder comes with a hard case, cleaning rod and cloth, cork grease, fingering chart and maintenance instructions. Product Features: Baroque fingering Double holes 3-piece Made of pearwood Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes case, cleaning rod, cork grease and fingering chart 3 year warranty

The Rottenburgh range is without doubt the world's most successful recorder series and remains one of The Early Music Shop's top sellers. This Rottenburgh recorder is an unwaveringly reliable instrument with a carrying tone, whether played in small or large ensembles. It also lends itself perfectly for solo pieces, e.g. for sonatas with basso continuo. The Rottenburgh is the ideal all rounder: reliable, balanced and with a full, expressive tone. The Rottenburgh is the instrument of choice for recorder players wishing to play music at an advanced level. This immensely popular range of recorders was originally designed by Friederich von Huene after models by Belgian maker Jean-Hyacinth-Joseph Rottenburgh (1672-1756). Versatile, reliable and used by all levels of players, Rottenburgh owners enjoy instruments made to consistently high standards. This Moeck 4300 Rottenburgh alto is made from European maple - this is a hard, fine grained, porous and resilient wood of medium density. (Specific density approx. 0.63) This produces a soft fundamental tone ideally suited for blended ensemble playing and solo performance. The wood is impregnated, meaning there is no need for further oiling. This Rottenburgh recorder comes with a hard case, cleaning rod and cloth, cork grease, fingering chart and maintenance instructions. Product Features: Baroque fingering Double holes 3-piece Made of maple Wax impregnation Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes case, cleaning rod, cork grease and fingering chart 3 year warranty Listen to this recorder! Vivaldi La Notte: Your browser does not support the audio element. Bach Sarabande: Your browser does not support the audio element. Scale: Your browser does not support the audio element.

KUN1402 This alto is made of maple which has earthy soundnotes. The recorder is in baroque fingering and has a wide bore. Küng's Studio series has proven to be popular with all levels of players providing a high quality instrument at a reasonable price. They have a full sound, balanced tone, and a good, easy response in all registers. Their clear, warm sound is well-suited for ensemble playing. This Studio alto comes complete with canvas bag, cleaning rod, fingering chart and maintenance instructions. Baroque fingering Double holes 3-Piece Made of maple Wax impregnation Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes soft bag, cleaning stick, manual and fingering chart 3 year warranty

Mollenhauer Canta 2206 alto (treble) f', pearwood, baroque fingering, double hole. Made from pearwood the alto Canta has a warm, clear and mellow tone. It responds well, even in the upper register, and is easy to handle and feels well balanced. The Canta series is suitable for beginner players or as a very economically priced consort set. This recorder comes with a cotton bag , cleaning rod and cloth, cork grease, fingering chart and maintenance instructions. Baroque fingering Double hole 3-piece Made of pearwood Wax impregnation Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes cotton bag, cleaning rod, cork grease and fingering chart 3 year warranty Listen to this recorder! Bach Sarabande: Your browser does not support the audio element. Vivaldi La Notte: Your browser does not support the audio element. Scale: Your browser does not support the audio element.

Over the years Moeck have been perfecting their student Flauto Rondo range, and the result is reliable, balanced recorders that are easy and enjoyable to play. This Moeck 2302 Flauto Rondo alto is made of pearwood, and is an ideal wooden recorder for the improving player who requires a more flexible tone with increased dynamic potential. It is comfortable to hold and allows for easy fingering. These recorders are suitable instruments for ensemble playing, with its balanced tone across the registers blending well within an ensemble. This recorder comes with a cotton bag with leather edging, cleaning rod and cloth, cork grease, fingering chart and maintenance instructions. Baroque fingering Double holes 3-piece Made of pearwood Wax impregnation Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes cotton bag, cleaning rod, cork grease and fingering chart 3 year warranty Listen to this recorder! Bach Sarabande: Your browser does not support the audio element. Vivaldi La Notte: Your browser does not support the audio element. Scale: Your browser does not support the audio element.

Over the years Moeck have been perfecting their student Flauto Rondo range, and the result is reliable, balanced recorders that are easy and enjoyable to play. This Moeck 2300 Flauto Rondo alto is made of maple, and is an ideal wooden recorder for the improving player who requires a more flexible tone with increased dynamic potential. It is comfortable to hold and allows for easy fingering. These recorders are suitable instruments for ensemble playing, with its balanced tone across the registers blending well within an ensemble. This recorder comes with a cotton bag with leather edging, cleaning rod and cloth, cork grease, fingering chart and maintenance instructions. Baroque fingering Double holes 3-piece Made of maple Wax impregnation Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes cotton bag, cleaning rod, cork grease and fingering chart 3 year warranty Fast: Your browser does not support the audio element. Slow: Your browser does not support the audio element.