Dordrecht recorder

[Stephen Dobson / Rab]

Good evening all,

I've been doing a (very) little research - basically a first look - at the sorts of instruments played in the late fourteenth century. As well as the lute (a little complex and expensive for a first foray), I've come across some information on the Dordrecht recorder, but not much.

In short, who makes them and how much am I looking at paying for one?

On a less commercial note, I'd like to just know a bit more about music of the time; its style, the formal occasions (secular) on which it was played, any idea of how widespread playing would have been.

I realise that this might be solved by some further research, but I'm coming at this from such a position of ignorance I don't really know where to start.

Thank you in advance,
Rab

[Sue Green]

Hi

My recorder, whilst not a Dordrecht one, is by P Bleazey and it is a lovely instrument. They also do the Dordrecht model - see following website :

http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/ble ... rpage.html

[Xioumi]

Mr Bleazey's instruments are a joy to play. I highly reccomend them
Try this link for some early surviving examples of medieval recorders. It has some very lovely pictures.
http://www.recorderhomepage.net/torture2.html

[Stephen Dobson / Rab]

Thank you. Those are the links I turned up and caught my eye, so it's good to hear that I'm looking in the right places

Now to persuade one of the music staff to teach me to play...

[Jack Campin]

I just bought one of Cranmore's Dordrecht replicas.

I don't imagine it'll be too hard to find appropriate music for it (Dutch/Flemish and maybe Burgundian tunes from around 1400) but I haven't got much yet.

[kate/bob]

Busy Mole do a couple of really good books with middle to late medieval tunes. Most of them are the right range for a descant recorder. They also include some explanations as to where the tunes come from and when they were used, ie dancing, religious, etc. They're the best books I've had to date.

[blastfromthepast]

Jane Moulder has produced an excellent series of tune books covering the medieval, Tudor and Civil War periods which are also packed with info about the respective periods. I suspect they're the same ones that Busy Mole sell, but you can also buy them direct from Jane here - http://www.piva.org.uk/Books_and_CDs_Fo ... s_Page.htm