PHILIPPE BOLTON, RECORDER MAKER

Medieval, pre-baroque, and baroque recorders

© khm

This instrument was probably made at the end of the XVIth or the beginning of the XVIIe century. It is no longer in its original state because the beak and foot were modified some time after it was made in order to make it look more "baroque" at a time when the simple design of the Renaissance recorders was no longer fashionable. The windway section was probably shortened to make this operation easier. It must have been a good instrument to have been thus adapted to the taste of a later period.

The copy of this recorder illustrated below does not take these modifications into acount in an attempt to make it look and sound as it might have been originally.

The bore is similar to that of Claude Rafi's recorders, with a long cylindrical section and a choke towards the bottom, near the last hole, enabling the use of the third harmonic for playing the top notes of the second octave, as on later recorders.

The name of the maker is unknown. His instruments were signed with this stamp:    © khm
The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna owns two other instruments by this maker which have not been modified like the tenor: a descant (SAM 130) and an alto (SAM 140)

You can listen to a copy of this instrument here



van Eyck: Onse Vader in Hemelryck  

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Philippe BOLTON,
22 Le Grand Portail, F-84570 VILLES-SUR-AUZON, France
TEL : +33 4 90 61 86 11