[Ansteorra] buying recorders (was: iso dance)

[ledonna mcgowan]

That is cool about Purcell!

On Thu, Feb 16, 2012 at 7:35 AM, Jeffrey Clark <jmclark85 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Choosing the right instrument can go a long way to helping tuning and
> balance, and there is a reason most professional recorder players will
> avoid playing soprano unless they absolutely have to. Unless you have a
> very well-made soprano recorder, it is very hard not to sound shrill, and
> it takes some seriouls control to play a soprano recorder in tune with
> other instruments.
>
> Early instruments do not transpose. Everything is read at sounding pitch.
> Actually, I was
> looking at a facsimile of a manuscript for one of Purcell's orchestral
> works, and I noticed that the "flute" part was transposed, after a moment I
> realised why: it was so that someone playing on a soprano recorder could
> play the part reading it as if they were playing an alto. So, apparently
> Purcell's recorder player didn't play soprano that much....
>
> --AS Zorzi