The recorder, a type of wooden flute, seems to date from the 1400s. Played during the Middle Ages, its use declined in the 18th century but enjoyed a revival around the turn of the turn of the 20th century, with interest in so-called early music. In this album, adapted from the instructional book The Recorder Guide by Johanna E. Kulbach and Arthur Nitka, musicians Martha Bixler and Eric Leber demonstrate the playing of the descant (soprano) and treble (alto) recorders. Bixler and Leber augment the instructional material with musical examples drawn from German, French, English, and American sources. Detailed instructions in the playing of the recorder are included in the liner notes.

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