Tenor Recorder..ideas?
  • Splenda
    Posts: 12
    A (rather talented) choir member recently mentioned that they play recorder, gravitating especially towards the tenor recorder (no, not the plastic elementary ones). They wanted to offer they skills to assist in music for mass, if there was a fitting place for it.

    Has anyone ever seen this before or have any ideas on if/where it could possibly work? (For context, our normal Sunday masses are Organ/Cantor/Choir, with chants/hymns mostly from Source and Summit)
    Thanked by 1Anna_Bendiksen
  • CGM
    Posts: 699
    I've always liked the soprano recorder playing the obbligato line on J.S. Bach's "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring". Might be able to do something similar on Bach's organ arrangement of "Wachet auf".

    You could perhaps use a tenor recorder as the cantus firmus on motets that employ such a practice (typically a chant line in augmentation). The tenor recorder is fairly soft, and might not make an equal partnership with the voice in more active polyphonic lines, but as a cantus firmus, should provide a delicate and stable voice to such a part.
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  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,979
    I have one and they are not loud at all. I think you would have to have several of them to stand up to louder instruments. Pretty, though. I have always liked their tone. I suppose you could use the dreaded microphone but would have to determine if it would work in your space.
    Thanked by 2Splenda ServiamScores
  • francis
    Posts: 10,824
    You could perhaps use a tenor recorder as the cantus firmus on motets that employ such a practice (typically a chant line in augmentation). The tenor recorder is fairly soft, and might not make an equal partnership with the voice in more active polyphonic lines, but as a cantus firmus, should provide a delicate and stable voice to such a part.


    This was my exact thought. IMHO, Cantus firmus support is surely an honorable employment.

    And by the way... a plastic tenor (I have a Yamaha) creates a beautiful sonority... Wood is surely better, but don’t discount a good less expensive model.
    Thanked by 1Splenda
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,193
    A tenor actually could do well playing descants on hymns.
    Thanked by 2Anna_Bendiksen Splenda
  • Splenda
    Posts: 12
    Thanks so much for the ideas!!
  • ghmus7
    Posts: 1,483
    Tons of baroque sonatas approrpriate for Church, Handel, Telemann, Couperin etc.
    Thanked by 1CharlesW
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