June 2024

Violin-family strings

Violin: Bass if it’s a very low part; tenor for most things like fiddle tunes and many 2nd violin parts; alto if it’s a high part

Viola: Bass or great bass. Viola parts often require reading the dreaded alto clef, or may switch between alto and treble clefs at times! 

Cello: Contrabass most likely, unless it’s a particularly high cello part.

Viols

Treble: Bass or tenor, depending on the range of the part.

Tenor: Great bass is my preference, but if it’s a high tenor viol part and you don’t like the high range on your great bass, a bass can work too.

Bass: Contrabass or possibly great bass if the part is high. Viols have a huge range and no single recorder can cover all of it - use your judgment for the best fit.

Brass

Modern brass parts are often transposed like clarinet parts. But appropriating a brass part is likely to be a last resort, because the recorder will never be as loud or, well, “brassy” as a brass instrument.

Choosing a Recorder for a Given Situation

But when you have a choice of two sizes that both fit the part (or that both require some revision), which do you choose? 



An important consideration here is volume and blend. For the most part, recorder is not a loud instrument. Baroque recorders playing in the low range are particularly likely to get lost in the texture of a larger mixed ensemble. If your job is to make sure your part is heard and balances well against the other instruments, you’re probably better off playing a larger size of recorder so that the part will sit higher in your range. That will make it louder and more “present”. Think about the difference between a G major scale on a tenor, where it sits in the middle of the range, and the same G major scale on an alto, where it starts on the second note from the bottom. It’s more likely to be audible on the tenor. 

However, if your goal in the ensemble is more orchestral - to color and fill out the texture, you may not want the strident sound of the higher register as much. Choosing a higher recorder will allow the part to sit lower. It won’t be as easy to pick out, but it may blend better into a sectional sound if there are multiple players on the same part.

Of course, these comparisons can also be helpful if someone who plays a different instrument wants to join in with an ensemble that’s mostly recorders. A flute player sitting in with a recorder consort would generally play an alto or tenor part, for example. A violinist would probably play an alto or tenor part, but lots of the time they could even get away with playing the bass line if they don’t mind reading up an octave in bass clef!

So far, all of these scenarios assume that you’re playing in the same octave as you would if you were playing any other instrument. This is important in many cases, such as if you’re playing an inner voice in a polyphonic piece or if you’re playing a duet part with another instrument. Playing your part up an octave when no one else is doing so would interfere with how the counterpoint is written.

There are also times when the octave doesn’t matter so much, or when it can be helpful to go up an octave. If you’re playing the top line in a polyphonic piece, it doesn’t disrupt the counterpoint as much when you go up an octave because although you are farther away from the other parts, you haven’t changed the part order the way you would if you changed the octave of an inner voice. So the blend is different, but it can often work.

Playing up an octave some of the time can also add brilliance and variety to the sound of the ensemble for orchestration effects - for example, you could double another part in octaves on the repeats or in the louder sections. It’s particularly good for descants or soloistic material, or any other time when you need your part to stick out of the texture more instead of blending in.

And then there are cases where the octave you’re in is just a part of your sound. Playing fiddle tunes in a dance band can work great on either soprano or tenor, depending on the sound you want, and switching between the two can create exciting variety.

Every scenario is a little different, and sometimes you’ll be balancing competing goals - being heard versus blending in, or staying in the right octave versus working with the instruments you have available. Don’t be afraid to experiment! Sometimes breaking the rules can work when you don’t expect it! Give it a try, and see what you get.

Emily O’Brien is a native of Washington, DC where she played recorder from a young age. She studied recorder and French horn at Boston University, and recorder and Baroque flute at the Hochschule für Musik in Karlsruhe, Germany. She performs in recorder ensembles and historical chamber music, as well as English Country Dance bands. As a teacher, she works with private students and ensembles in the Boston area as well as teaching at various summer workshop such as CDSS’s Early Music Week at Pinewoods and Amherst Early Music Festival. Emily’s solo album, “Fantasies for a Modern Recorder” explores the variety and possibilities over four centuries of repertoire offered by the Helder Harmonic Tenor recorder. In her spare time, she enjoys long distance cycling.