Recorder

The most simple of constructed instruments and one of the most overlooked, the recorder has had a major impact on Western classical music. Fashioned out of wood without any extraneous parts such as keys, or augmented mouthpiece, the recorder was and is both cheap and easy to use. It became very popular during the Renaissance and Baroque eras where recorders of all sizes were built to a variety of specifications. Recorders were either played solo or together in groups, known as choirs, with players playing a variety of different types for contrasting effect. Interest in the recorder waned as the 18th century progressed, as it made way for the louder flute and by the 20th century its chief role was reduced almost solely to music tuition. As with other lapsed instruments from earlier times the recorder received a new lease of life in the 1960s with the rise of period performance. The recorder is also now been used in contemporary composition.