Soprano (Descant) Recorders

Blezinger Ganassi soprano recorder in plumwood. In his tutor book on diminutions "La Fontegara", published in Venice in 1535, Sylvestro Ganassi describes how he succeeded in increasing the tonal range of recorder playing over the contemporary one and a half octave by using special fingerings. It is controversial if he alluded to a specific recorder type. Only very few instruments surviving from this period will play more than only one or two extra notes with the "Ganassi fingerings". The best known of these is an alto recorder in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Reconstructions of this recorder enable a range of much more than two octaves without difficulty. The typical construction of these recorders is the cylindrical bore with a wide conical bell at the bottom. They have a strong, stable sound which is clear and bright, particularly in the high register. Blezinger makes Ganassi recorders in 440 and 415 Hz. They are made in 2 parts, with a wide brass ring if requested.

The "sixth flute", or soprano recorder in d, was a very popular instrument in eighteenth-century England, used extensively in concertos and solo works by various composers, such as Woodcock and Baston. This von Huene a=415 sixth flute follows an original which changed hands between Edgar Hunt and Frans Brüggen, and is made from turned boxwood.

This wooden soprano recorder is designed after originals by Bressan by Japanese maker Takeyama, and produced by Zen-On. It has a rich sound with lots of overtones and is very responsive. Baroque fingering Double holes 3-piece Made of Brazilian boxwood Cedar block Pitch: a442 Hz Includes case, cleaning rod, cork grease and fingering chart 3 year warranty Listen to this recorder! Sammartini Allegro: Your browser does not support the audio element. Van Eyck Nightingale: Your browser does not support the audio element. Scale: Your browser does not support the audio element.

This Fehr "Model 4" soprano (descant) recorder is made by Kunath. This recorder is made of palisander and is in 3-parts. It has a warm, rounded deep tone. Includes a hard-case, cleaner and cork grease. Fast: Your browser does not support the audio element. Slow: Your browser does not support the audio element.

A handmade renaissance soprano by Hiroyuki Takeyama in maple. With bag, fingering chart, cork grease and pull through.

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8250 Kynseker soprano, plumwood. The Moeck Kynseker has a register of 2 octaves and corresponds to the 'Handfluit' by Jacob van Eyck (1590-1657). The originals of these instruments are to be found in the German National Museum in Nuremberg. This recorder is made from Plumwood - European, particularly dense and heavy. Specific density approx 0.80. Soft fundamental tone. With case, cleaning rod and cloth, vaseline, certificate with manual for maintenance, fingering chart and maintenance kit. Listen to this recorder! Van Eyck Nightingale: Your browser does not support the audio element. Anon La Rotta: Your browser does not support the audio element. Scale: Your browser does not support the audio element.

8220 renaissance soprano, maple, renaissance fingering. The famous collection of instruments in the Hofburg Museum in Vienna comprises a number of well kept renaissance recorders that were built in one piece. Moeck have based their renaissance consort series on this collection, but with all the recorders having tenons in the head and lower joint linked with a short brass tube. The instruments have a range of an octave and a sixth. Moeck offer these recorders with either renaissance or baroque fingerings, and if desired, they can be tuned to meantone temperament which, when using the original renaissance fingerings will make ensemble playing and the intonation of pure major thirds far easier. The original recorders were tuned to a=460 but Moeck have scaled their copies to a=440 Hz, which can be slightly adjusted by the short metal ring that links the tenons. When tuning the instruments, special care has been taken that the individual recorders blend well together and cannot be singled out by their sound or volume. This recorder is made from Maple - European, hard, fine grained, porous and resilient. Specific density approx. 0.63. Soft fundamental tone. Impregnated, no need for further oiling. With case, cleaning rod and cloth, vaseline and certificate.

8220 renaissance soprano, maple, baroque fingering. The famous collection of instruments in the Hofburg Museum in Vienna comprises a number of well kept renaissance recorders that were built in one piece. Moeck have based their renaissance consort series on this collection, but with all the recorders having tenons in the head and lower joint linked with a short brass tube. The instruments have a range of an octave and a sixth. Moeck offer these recorders with either renaissance or baroque fingerings, and if desired, they can be tuned to meantone temperament which, when using the original renaissance fingerings will make ensemble playing and the intonation of pure major thirds far easier. The original recorders were tuned to a=460 but Moeck have scaled their copies to a=440 Hz, which can be slightly adjusted by the short metal ring that links the tenons. When tuning the instruments, special care has been taken that the individual recorders blend well together and cannot be singled out by their sound or volume. This recorder is made from Maple - European, hard, fine grained, porous and resilient. Specific density approx. 0.63. Soft fundamental tone. Impregnated, no need for further oiling. With case, cleaning rod and cloth, vaseline and certificate.

A high quality solo recorder from the workshops of Dutch recorder maker Hans Coolsma (1919-1991). Their low-pitch sopranos are modelled after original sopranos by Englelbert Terton, a Dutch maker in the 18th century. This soprano is made of palisander and the thumbhole is bushed. This recorder comes with a hard case, pull through, fingering chart, maintenance instructions and a 5-year warranty. Baroque fingering Double holes 3-Piece Made of palisander Thumbhole bush Pitch: a´= 415 Hz Includes hard case, pull through, cork grease and fingering chart 5 year warranty

A high quality solo recorder from the workshops of Dutch recorder maker Hans Coolsma (1919-1991). Coolsma recorders are designed with a curved windway producing a responsive and direct sound, suitable for playing both baroque and contemporary music. This soprano recorder is made of grenadilla, has decoration rings and the thumbhole is bushed. Five year guarantee. This recorder comes with a hard case, pull through, fingering chart, maintenance instructions and a 5-year warranty. Baroque fingering Double holes 3-Piece Made of grenadilla with decoration Thumbhole bush Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes hard case, pull through, cork grease and fingering chart 5 year warranty

Takeyama Soprano Recorder in Grenadilla

The 5243 Ehlert soprano recorder by Moeck is made in castello boxwood. The recorders were d esigned by Ralf Ehlert, and are suitable for recorder music from all styles and periods. On account of their strong tone colour and volume they are particularly suitable for playing with piano and other "modern" instruments. They have a wide conical bore, giving them the same strength of sound as renaissance recorders. The windway however is designed after baroque models giving it flexibilty in both sound and dynamics. The longer measurement of the recorder and the double key results in a more easily accessible extended range (2+ octaves). With different fingerings it is possible to achieve from C# - top G without the need to cover the bell of the recorder. This recorder is pitched at standard pitch (a=442Hz) and is made from boxwood - even grain and density. Specific density 0.80. Clean, round tone. This Ehlert recorder comes in a leather hard case with cleaning rod and cloth, cork grease, fingering chart, maintenance instructions and a maintenance kit. Baroque fingering Double key 3-piece Made of boxwood Includes free maintenance set (oil, brushes, anti-condensant etc) Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes case, cleaning rod, cork grease and fingering chart 3 year warranty

The 5213 Steenbergen soprano recorder in Indian boxwood by Moeck is based on an original by 18th century maker Jan Steenbergen. Its 'typically baroque' glowing and warm sound makes this recorder a very expressive solo instrument. T he intonation is excellent and the bright, warm tone of this model is particularly effective in the upper register making it highly suitable for performing the most demanding Baroque repertoire. The Steenbergen series was designed by Guido Klemisch after an original by the Dutch maker Jan Steenbergen (1675-1728) which is in the Frans Bruggen collection in Amsterdam. The recorders have a narrow windway which offers a good degree of resistance, facilitating greater dynamic and expressive variation. This recorder is pitched at standard pitch (a=442Hz) and is made from boxwood - even grain and density. Specific density 0.80. Clean, round tone. This recorder comes in a leather hard case with cleaning rod and cloth, cork grease, fingering chart, maintenance instructions and a maintenance kit. Baroque fingering Double holes 3-piece Made of boxwood Includes free maintenance set (oil, brushes, anti-condensant etc) Pitch: a´= 442 Hz Includes case, cleaning rod, cork grease and fingering chart 3 year warranty

Blezinger Ganassi soprano recorder in maple. In his tutor book on diminutions "La Fontegara", published in Venice in 1535, Sylvestro Ganassi describes how he succeeded in increasing the tonal range of recorder playing over the contemporary one and a half octave by using special fingerings. It is controversial if he alluded to a specific recorder type. Only very few instruments surviving from this period will play more than only one or two extra notes with the "Ganassi fingerings". The best known of these is an alto recorder in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Reconstructions of this recorder enable a range of much more than two octaves without difficulty. The typical construction of these recorders is the cylindrical bore with a wide conical bell at the bottom. They have a strong, stable sound which is clear and bright, particularly in the high register. Blezinger makes Ganassi recorders in 440 and 415 Hz. They are made in 2 parts, with a wide brass ring if requested. Listen to this recorder! Van Eyck Nightingale: Your browser does not support the audio element. Anon La Rotta: Your browser does not support the audio element. Scale: Your browser does not support the audio element.

This Fehr "Model 4" soprano (descant) recorder is made by Kunath. This recorder is made of grenadilla and is in 3-parts. It has a direct, clear tone. Includes a hard-case, cleaner and cork grease.

This Fehr "Model 4" soprano (descant) recorder is made by Kunath. This recorder is made of bubinga and is in 3-parts. It has a warm, rounded deep tone. Includes a soft-case, cleaner and cork grease.

This Fehr "Model 3" soprano (descant) recorder is made by Kunath. This recorder is made of palisander and is in 3-parts. Includes a soft-case, cleaner and cork grease.

This Fehr "Model 3" soprano (descant) recorder is made by Kunath. This recorder is made of haldu and is in 2-parts. Includes a soft-case, cleaner and cork grease.

The Yamaha YRS-83 is made from the finest, carefully aged ebony and is individually crafted by Yamaha's most experienced artisans. Ebony is a hard dense wood which provides easy response and a clear elegant sound. A unique bore taper and a refined tonehole design gives this recorder an extraordinary tonal richness and a remarkably balanced response Comes with cotton case, fingering chart, cork grease and cleaning rod

The Yamaha YRS-82 is made from the finest, carefully aged kingswood and is individually crafted by Yamaha's most experienced artisans. A unique bore taper and a refined tonehole design gives this recorder an extraordinary tonal richness and a remarkably balanced response Comes with cotton case, fingering chart, cork grease and cleaning rod

Made from rosewood, the Yamaha YRS-64 descant recorder is for the serious recorder player. Handmade by their highly skilled artisans, it provides a tonal depth and clarity which is ideal for solo or chamber music performance. With its even and precise intonation, the YRS-64 also blends easily with other instruments. Comes with cotton case, fingering chart, cork grease and cleaning rod

This handmade soprano recorder by German maker Martin Wenner is after an original by Engelbert Terton (1676-1752). It is made of European boxwood and pitched at baroque pitch (a=415). It has a clear, soft sound and is perfect for playing high baroque repertoire, including Sammartini's concerto. Terton was one the most famous Dutch recorder makers and had a worked in Amsterdam in the early 18th century. The original is extremely well-preserved and can be found in the collection of the The Hague’s Gemeentemuseum. It is made of stained boxwood and is beautifully decorated with engraved openwork silver rings. This recorder comes with a decorative handmade, soft case and Wenner's recorder oil.