Wednesday, April 24, 2024

The Recorder in the Music of Bach

There was a time when I thought that all the flutes in Bach pieces were, in fact, recorders.  (I mean the so-called blockflute, that has a built-in whistle mouthpiece, see pictures below).  Later, I discovered that even the usual transverse flutes (called Flauto traverso in Italian) had the tone I was associating with recorders. 

This is one of the Brandenburg Concertos, written by Bach as a gift for the Margrave of Brandenburg, as a sort of calling-card.  (He was hoping for a position at that court, or at least a commission for a work.)  It is a concerto for multiple instruments (a concerto grosso) in this case for three recorders, a solo violin, and a harpsichord, and strings.  The recorders are prominent in the whole work, and create a truly magical fairy-like, or heavenly effect.  All through my teen years, this was one of my favorite pieces, and if you're not careful, it might get adopted by your kids, too.

https://youtu.be/Ra29AHsZQSQ?si=CvzIggOzk-jWxbN_