Recorder
The recorder, a duct flute, in five languages — recorder, flauto dolce, Blockflöte
Related
Five languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 竖笛（直笛） |
| English | recorder |
| Italian | flauto dolce |
| German | Blockflöte |
| French | flûte à bec |
The recorder is a European duct flute, held vertically: a channel directs the airstream against an edge, and fingerholes set out the scale. English recorder, Italian flauto dolce ("sweet flute"), German Blockflöte and French flûte à bec ("beak flute") name the same instrument; Chinese also says 直笛 or 木笛. It was a leading solo and ensemble instrument in the Renaissance and Baroque, and spread through school music in the twentieth century (a common account).
Watch out: the recorder is not the flute — the flute is side-blown and has no duct, while the recorder is end-blown and has one; German Blockflöte versus Querflöte makes exactly this contrast. Chinese 竖笛 can also mean a simple classroom pipe, so context matters.
Read deeper → Recorder
Sources
- 各语种乐器名与形制，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Recorder"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.