November 2021
What About Those Giant Recorders?
by Greta Haug-Hryciw
Most recorder players who play in groups, whether in ensembles or with an ARS chapter, are very familiar with the typical quartet of instrument sizes: soprano, alto, tenor and bass (SATB). But in recent years, low consorts of bigger instruments have become increasingly popular. Recorder orchestras around the world are the biggest consumers of these specialized instruments. However, they are also being employed by smaller ensembles of well-known professionals as well as amateur players who want the richness and depth of the low instruments for their repertoire.
Adriana Breukink with her contrabass in Bb (photo by Aad Mosch)
How Low Can You Go?
The smallest of the “big basses” is the C-bass, or “Great Bass,” and just as our common (little) bass is an octave lower in pitch than an alto, the C-bass, so named because its lowest note is C, is an octave lower than a tenor. Even lower are recorders that progress on down the scale, alternating by 4ths and 5ths just as the smaller instruments do. Next in size are the Contrabass (in F), the Sub-Great Bass (in C), and the Sub-Contrabass (in F). There are some even lower which are quite specialized and not commonly available. Perhaps most notable is the Renaissance Sub-Contrabass in Bb made by Adriana Breukink, shown here with one of the three that she produced in her workshop in Enschede, Netherlands.
To offer some context for how low the bottom note of the Sub-Contrabass in F is, it is a mere 5th above the lowest pitch on a 5-string double-bass: B0 (~31Hz). Here are the ranges of each of the four giant recorders listed above. The octave numbers indicate the lowest note of each recorder size at their actual pitch:
Are Giant Recorders a Modern Invention?
There is plenty of evidence that giant recorders are truly historical instruments. In his 3-volume encyclopedic treatise Syntagma Musicum, Michael Praetorius (1571-1621) described in detail the recorder family of instruments and included an engraving depicting their relative sizes that includes a rule at the bottom defining the actual measurements.

Only a few original instruments of this size still exist, but there is a fine example of an elegant Renaissance contrabass recorder at the Museum Vleeshuis in Antwerp. Built c. 1535 by Caspar Rauch during the golden age of recorders (1500-1650) it has been granted masterpiece status by the Flemish government. Measuring 2.5 meters (over eight feet) it was built in one piece and its lowest note is C1 (a fourth below our typical modern contrabasses).
Big Basses Today
With what could be called the modern renaissance of the recorder in the early 20th century, there were a few recorder makers who ventured into the super-sized instruments. Among them was Friedrich von Huene who started making recorders in the United States in 1955. One of his baroque contrabasses, painted gold, still adorns the façade of the von Huene Workshop in Brookline, MA (see photo). Another 20th century maker was Heinz Roessler, who made both baroque and Renaissance C-basses and contrabasses through the 1990s. Roessler pioneered the knick tenor concept (bent neck) which has been adopted by several contemporary recorder makers.

These big instruments must be built from select even-grain wood, just as the smaller recorders are, but in much larger diameter. Most common today are those made from maple or pear wood which are in sustainable supply.
Manufacturers
One of the fascinating aspects of the recorder world is the great variety of possibilities, depending on your ensemble’s needs, preferences, or budget. For our purposes, below is a short list of makers of Great Bass in C and Contrabass in F pitched from a=440 to a=442 Hz that are commonly available in the US. A list of other makers of note available in Europe are linked HERE.
 Herbert Paaetzold with the full consort of the “square” birchwood instruments: (L-R: Sub-Great Bass, Great Bass, Basset (little bass), Contrabass, Sub-Contrabass.
Photo from Recorder Home Page
Küng (Schaffhausen, Switzerland): The Superio line includes a C-bass and F Contrabass made of stained pear wood. The C-bass has a bent neck enabling direct blowing. The Contrabass is the more traditional turned (round) instrument and has an adjustable bocal. Both have full, rich sound all the way to the bottom and beautiful brass hardware. nb: Stands can be purchased separately for both. The Küng instruments have unique fingerings for certain notes.

Mollenhauer (Fulda, Germany): There are two models of baroque C-bass. The Canta in stained pear wood features a knick (bent) head for direct blow and the Denner model, also in pear, has a bocal. Mollenhauer also makes a Renaissance Kynseker model in dark-stained maple with bocal and traditional fontanelle key cover.

Moeck (Celle, Germany): Moeck makes their own Consort model of Renaissance Great Bass and Subbass (contrabass), both in stained maple and with bocal and fontanelle. They also produce a Rondo model of baroque Great Bass in stained maple wood with a knick head joint. Moeck also has their own take on the contrabass in a dark stained maple with the bend built into the head joint that allows the player to blow directly into the instrument. The window and labium are directed upwards rather than on the face of the instrument. This is a heavy instrument.

Paetzold by Kunath (Fulda, Germany): With the booming popularity of the recorder in the last century, innovations began to appear. In 1953, Joachim Paetzold designed and built the first “square” bass in 1953 and his nephew Herbert Paetzold patented the design in a contrabass version 1975. The rights of production were transferred to Joachim Kunath in 2012. Made of high quality birch plywood, the instrument was based on the “square” wooden pipes in Renaissance organs. With a characteristic folded over top section that shortens it, the player can blow into it with a very short bocal, thus making a more immediate response to articulation. Large wooden key levers eliminate the need for wide finger stretch to cover the holes. Kunath has recently been manufacturing light-weight versions of the square profile basses in Resona plastic with 3D printing technology. Kunath also offers a Sub-Great Bass in C and a Sub-Contrabass in F.
Things to Consider:
Regarding the sound of the giant recorders: As Sarah Jeffrey explains in her segment about bass recorders, the bigger the recorders get, the softer the sound - especially at the bottom of their range. This is because they are intended as ensemble instruments and their job is to blend and add depth without overpowering the other voices. When played with other basses, they produce difference, or combination tones that act as an “acoustic amplifier.” They are actually heard better in ensemble than on their own.

  • These instruments require quite a financial investment. If you hope to purchase one, look for an opportunity to try one before you commit so you will better understand what it takes to play it.
  • The larger the recorder, the more air it requires.
  • Aside from the Great Bass and Moeck’s subbass in F which can be played either while seated or standing, the larger recorders need to be played standing up.
  • Most models are quite heavy on their own and more so in their cases.
  • Some effort and strength are required to assemble, disassemble, and transport.
  • The cases require some storage space. 

That said, a majority of players agree that it’s well worth the effort.

Whether or not you have first-hand experience playing any of these amazing instruments, you can always enjoy listening to the sonorous boost they give to the ensembles that use them. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of videos of them to be found online that you can add to your library. Happy listening!
YouTube Videos Featuring Big Recorders:
FR2 (Flanders duo Tom Beets and Joris van Goethem) playing Glen Shannon’s “Sling Shot” on a Great Bass and Renaissance contrabass
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Seldom Sene playing Bach’s Aria da Capo from the Goldberg Variations on a combination of Renaissance and baroque recorders (including contrabasses)
The Royal Wind Music playing a large consort of Renaissance instruments on one of Pierre Phalèse’s bransles at the 2012 Edison Klassiek Gala, celebrating Frans Brüggen’s lifetime of recording achievements (he is in the audience)
Flanders Recorder Quartet with Saskia Coolen playing Louis Prima’s classic “Sing, Sing, Sing”
Greta Haug-Hryciw is a member of the ARS Board of Directors. She lives in California, teaches recorder for all ages and co-directs the Barbary Coast Recorder Orchestra with Glen Shannon. Among its members, BCRO has 10 great basses, 4 contrabasses, 2 sub-great basses and 1 sub-contrabass. Greta is shown playing a pre-Kunath Paetzold, decorated by Scout Tran Caffee.

Photo credit: Hanneke von Proosdij
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