These are mostly to my own design, but based on original instruments in various collections. I usually make them in boxwood, but I do have several other woods that work equally well, including: olive, wild pear and grenadilla.
This is quite closely based on a plain boxwood instrument by Jacob Denner in the Musikhistorisk museum, Copenhagen. This has a convenient pitch of a=415 Hz and a lovely, free high register. The lower notes are not as strong and solid as found on many English instruments, although with single holes and old fingering, the lower notes are a lot more solid and full sounding. I make this recorder with both modern and old fingering, with double and single holes.
I also make another type of alto recorder, based on an instrument by Charles Bizey, in the Dayton Miller Collection, Washington D.C. Its pitch is a=392 Hz, which is ideal for playing French baroque music. Again, I make this recorder with both modern and old fingering, with double and single holes.
As an English recorder maker, it seemed strange never to have made an alto based on an English model. So last year, I took the plans I had of the ex Hunt collection alto that is now in the Bate Collection, Oxford and decided to make a close copy of it. The original has full ivory mounts single holes and is pitched around a-405 Hz and I am making a copy of this instrument, without the ivory mounts. The waiting time for these instruments is at the moment shorter than for my "Denner" model, please let me know if you would like any further information.
However, I have for many years made sixth flutes in d" based on the carved ivory example in the Brüggen collection. Pitch is a=415 Hz and I have made this instrument with double holes and modern fingering, but these days I discourage this, as the sound with old fingering and single holes is far better.
Following on from the sixth flute, I adapted the design to make a soprano in c" at a=415 Hz for the small repertoire that requires this sort of instrument.
The voice flute that I make, is loosely based on a (high pitch) tenor recorder by J.C. Denner, in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg. If we consider the lowest note of this instrument to be d', (rather un-historically!) its pitch works out nicely at a=415 Hz. With this instrument, my idea was to make a recorder capable of playing Bach and baroque flute literature almost as easily as on an alto recorder, something that no original voice flute seems able to do.
Over the last ten years or so, I have made many baroque style recorders in a=442 Hz expressly intended for playing contemporary music So far I have only developed a successful alto, and a tenor recorder without keys, so please contact me for further information and availability of these models. I would normally recommend them being made in Grenadilla, to cope with the extra demands of the repertoire. Sound Example
