Recorder.

Do you ever have memories of your elementary school days suddenly come back to you?
A happy, warm memory,
I often recall memories that make me want to snuggle my face into my pillow.
I'll suddenly remember it before I go to bed or something, and I'm all flustered...

But that's OK... I was in elementary school,
I had a recorder for music class in elementary school, right?
It was easy to play, inexpensive, and not so bulky, so it was convenient to carry.
The tone of the recorder is pretty,
But didn't you stop having opportunities to touch it when you were in high school?

There are tens of thousands of recorders left in the closet, covered with moisture,
I wonder how many tens of thousands of recorders there are in Japan...
They are such wonderful instruments, but what a waste!
So this time, I would like to talk a little about recorders.


◆I liked it when I was born.

The history of the recorder is very old, dating back to around the 12th century.
Vertical flutes, similar in shape to today's recorders, were played all over Europe.
The recorder is said to be the oldest air reed wind instrument.
During the Renaissance and Baroque periods, the recorder became very popular for chamber music,
The recorder was very popular in chamber music during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, and was making a booming sound.

The recorder was also used as a solo instrument, as ensembles of the time often took the form of a "concerto" in which a solo instrument joined an accompaniment consisting mainly of string instruments. The recorder was sought after as a solo instrument.


Feeling the limitations...and then came a rival.

But by the 18th century, when the orchestra was taking its present form,
More volume and richness of tone were required.

The recorder was unable to meet these needs, and the flute, its peer and rival, began to take its place,
The flute is loud and romantic.
The flute has a louder sound and can produce a tone more suited to romantic songs.
The rise and fall of the flute... The right flute for the right job...

The recorder lost out to these unfavorable times, but it has a chance to make a comeback.


◆The pervert saves the recorder?

In 1919, the year the Treaty of Versailles was signed,
A man who lived in England, Arnold Dolmetsch, a surgeon everywhere,
For some reason, he created a copy of a recorder from the Baroque era.
Why a surgeon? You might ask,
An enthusiastic music lover is pretty much everywhere.
So Mr. Dolmetsch was one of them.
He made recorders not only for himself but also for his whole family,
He made recorders not only for himself but for his whole family, and they traveled to various countries to play together. What about work? I know, it's like, "What about work?
I mean, the family is amazing, too.
I wonder if they ever questioned...

But thanks to that performance tour,
But thanks to that concert tour, people in many places said, "What's that? There are people playing strange flutes! And that's why they became the talk of the town.
In today's terms, "buzz" was generated.


◆One more pervert.

Then there was the Dolmetsch family that was becoming famous.
There is one person who was shocked to see them playing when they were invited to the Expo.
He is Mr. Peter Hallan, a German.

Impressed, Mr. Halland begged Mr. Dolmetsch in England to teach him how to make a recorder,
Dormech in England to teach him how to make the recorder.
He then brought the technique back to Germany, and became passionate about the revival of the recorder.

Later, the movement to play old music on the recorder and other ancient instruments
The movement to play old music on recorders and other old instruments became popular,
The recorder once again regained its former presence.

Furthermore, in the Nazi regime of the time, there was a movement to actively introduce the recorder into school education,
The Nazi regime of the time actively introduced the recorder into school education, and the recorder became an instrument that could be enjoyed at home,
The recorder became popular as an instrument that could be enjoyed unambulately at home.
Come to think of it, Hitler was famous for his great appreciation of the arts.


◆And to Japan... At the Berlin Olympics celebration,
There was also a big recorder ensemble by a large number of children,
The Japanese who saw this performance were greatly impressed,
Japanese who saw this performance were so impressed that they brought recorders to Japan, saying, "Recorders are necessary for school education in Japan! and brought the recorders to Japan.

The "Nippon Kangaku Kikai Kabushiki Kaisha", a major manufacturer of wind instruments in Japan at that time, undertook the production of the recorder and the "Superior" was born,
which was the leading manufacturer of wind instruments in Japan at that time, undertook the production and started selling the product under the trade name "Superior Pipe".

From this point on, the recorder's name recognition in Japan increased rapidly.
In Japan, the recorder is required to be bought in elementary and junior high schools, and it has become an instrument that no one knows about.


◆Conclusion Looking at it this way, the recorder has had a quite a hard life.
I hope that this article will make some of you interested in the recorder again and pull it out of the closet.......

At Lesson Grid, we also have a recorder instructor.
If you are interested, please take a trial lesson.
All of our instructors and management look forward to seeing you.