A Brief History of the Recorder (and its greatest hits)

For many the recorder is an instrument they remember from their childhoods, either learning to play it in primary school, or seeing it unloved in a box of classroom instruments.

Despite this, the recorder is one of history's truly great musical instruments. Ancient in its origins, it was of central significance in the Renaissance and Baroque eras and was the forerunner of modern woodwind instruments. Though it declined in popularity as the flute was invented, composers never entirely stopped writing for it. It also continued to be a useful as a first musical instrument, especially for those aiming to instruments such as the flute or the clarinet. And in the twentieth century it experienced a massive revival as the period performance moment took off, leading in turn to renewed interest from composers.

Medieval origins

The first known depictions of the instrument were in mediaeval century art and manuscripts. The name of the instrument derives from the old French verb ‘recorder’, meaning ‘to remember, to learn by heart’ and also ‘to play music.’ Though more crude, early recorders were similar their modern equivalents—a simple wooden tube with holes to control the pitch and a whistle mouthpiece. The tone of the instrument is pure and haunting and was often associated with pastoral scenes, miraculous events, funerals, marriages, and scenes that were amorous in nature.

The instrument was often used to in mediaeval ensembles to accompany voices and for dance music. There was much interchangeability between voice and instrument, so even where pieces are not specifically for recorder it was and remains acceptable to play them on the instrument. Important works include:

1. Cantigas de Santa Maria, a collection of over 400 songs to the Virgin Mary attributed to King Alfonso X of Castile and León.
2. Organa and early polyphonic works for choir, such as Pérotin’s Viderunt Omnes were often adapted for consorts of recorder.
3. Douce Dame Jolie by Guillaume de Machaut, a notable virelai from the 14th century. Its simple, repetitive melody makes it well-suited for performance on the recorder.
4. Sumer is Icumen In, a 13th century English round featuring intricate polyphony.
5. Le Jeu de Robin et Marion (1282 or 83) by Adam de la Halle is one of the earliest French plays with music. Movements like the marvellously earthy J'ai encore une tel paste ('I Still Have a Lovely Pie') were likely doubled by solo recorders or recorder consorts.

Extract from 'Cantigas de Santa Maria.' The recorder soloist is playing a medieval double recorder:

The Renaissance (1400–1600): Consort Music

The Renaissance was the golden age of consort (i.e. ensemble) music featuring the recorder. The design of the instrument was refined by makers such as the Bassano family, allowing it to become a central part of both professional and amateur music making. Notable works include:

1. Tielman Susato’s Danserye (1551): A collection of Renaissance dances that, when played on recorder, showcase the recorder's agility and ability to blend harmoniously in consorts. The best of these include La Morisque, Bergerette, and Den IX Ronde.

2. Anthony Holborne’s Pavans, Galliards, Almains, and Other Short Aeirs (1599): Highlights of this 65 movement collection include Muy Linda, Honie Suckle, Heres Paternusand the rhythmically brilliantFairy Round. This last work was included on NASA's 'Golden Record,' an album of music from earth sent beyond the solar system on the space probe Voyager.

3. Though published in the early Baroque, Michael Pratorius’s 1612 collection of dances ‘Terpsichore’ also embodies the spirit of Renaissance consort music. As with all the pieces mentioned above, there are no specific instrumental indications, though recorders would certainly have featured in many movements. Highlights include: Philou,Bransle de Villages and La Bouree.

La Bourée from Terpsichore

The Baroque Period (1600–1750): The Soloist Emerges

The Baroque era (1600–1750) elevated the recorder from an ensemble instrument to a virtuosic soloist. Instrument makers such as Jean Hotteterre and Peter Bressan refined its design, increasing its range and tuning stability. Composers began to write intricate works that explored the recorder's expressive potential.

Landmark Baroque Works:
1. Vivaldi, Recorder Concertos: Vivaldi wrote five masterpieces for the instrument RV 441–445. Of these the dazzling RV443 for sopranino is particularly fine.

2. Handel: Handel’s Recorder Sonatas (HWV 362–369) are lyrical and virtuosic, blending Italianate expressiveness with German craftsmanship.

3. Telemann's Concerto in C Major, TWV 51:C1 and Sonata in F Major, TWV 41:F2 are admired for their charm and technical demands, revealing the recorder’s capacity for both intimacy and exuberance.

4. J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, BWV 1049. We reach the high baroque with Bach’s intricate and brilliant interplay between two solo recorders and violin.

Antonio Vivaldi: Recorder Concerto RV 443

Decline and Revival

The invention of the modern flute in the Classical period led to a decline in interest in the recorder, especially as its delicate tone was not suited for use in the rapidly developing symphony orchestra.

Despite this, a few composers, both in the Classical and Romantic periods did occasionally write for the instrument. Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714–1787), for example, specified recorders in the final aria of his opera ‘Echo et Narcisse' (1779). He may also have originally intended the instruments be used in the celebrated Dance of the Blessed Spirits movement from his opera ‘Orphée et Eurydice.’

There has similar debate as to whether Mozart’s use of the terms ’flauto piccolo’ or ’flautino’ in some of his orchestral works indicated the use of recorder rather than the flute, even though nowadays they almost always assigned to the more modern instrument.

There are fewer household names in the role-call of Romantic composers who were known to write for recorder, but they existed nevertheless, including figures such as Franz Xaver Mozart (1791–1844) (youngest son of Wolfgang); Stephan Franz (1785–1855); Jean Ruckgaber (1799–1876) and (better known) Johann Strauss Senior (1804–1849) and Anton Diabelli (1781–1858).

The 20th century saw, however, a revival in the instrument, driven largely by the historical performance movement. Pioneering musicians and scholars such as Arnold Dolmetsch rediscovered the recorder and its repertoire.

This is turn inspired composers to write new works for the instrument. These include Gordon Jacob’s Suite for Recorder and Strings (1957), which integrates a Baroque sensibility with modern harmonies…

….and Malcolm Arnold’s Fantasy for Recorder, Op.140 (1965), which pushes the technical and expressive boundaries of the instrument further still: