Alto Recorder

About this instrument

The recorder is first documented in Europe in the Middle Ages, and continued to enjoy wide popularity in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Around 1670, a new type of recorder appeared in France—the flûte douce or "sweet flute"—what today would be called an alto in F. In contrast to its predecessor, it was full and resonant in the low register. The alto is the third highest pitched member of the recorder family, tuned in F with a range of F4 to G6. It was voiced to produce an intense, reedy, and penetrating tone of considerable carrying power and expressiveness. It was revived in the twentieth century as part of the historically informed performance movement, and became a popular amateur and educational instrument.