The “Other Woodwinds”, Part One Friday, January 18, 2013
Woodwinds aren’t all flute, clarinet or saxophone. There are recorders, Native Indian flutes, and tinwhistles. Of course, we have music for those! The recorder is a European woodwind. It comes in five voices: sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. The soprano recorder is the one we are most familiar with. Many of us, in fourth grade, were presented with an inexpensive plastic recorder and a beginner’s method book. We collectively tooted our way through as much of the book as time would allow, or our teachers could stand. Thereby, we learned who among us had a flair for playing an instrument. After the obligatory recorder chapter was over, depending on how we felt about our little “blochflote”, (German for “recorder”), it may have been thrown out as a gesture of liberation, lost in the bottom of the toybox, or, just maybe, kept and played. We have beginner’s books, such as ”Best in Class” by Bruce Pearson. There are books of solos for recorder, like “400 Years of Recorder Music” , compiled and edited by Dr. William Weiss. Some books of sheet music for recorder ensemble are available. “A Purcell Collection for Recorder Consort” is one of those. For more information about these recorder books or others, call 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or visit our website: www.stantons.com