Your recent article about the recorder failed to address key issues regarding its history and its possible extinction (‘It’s vastly complex, even dangerous’: in defence of the recorder, the Marmite of the woodwind world, 15 August). The real modern recorder, which became popular in the second half of the 20th century, died decades ago, in the 1980s and 1990s, when it was gradually replaced by the “historically authentic” recorder designed in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, whose sound is not as much appreciated by the public.
Recorder players today will disagree, and probably hate me for saying so, but all these “historically authentic” recorders used today generally produce – with rare exceptions – a rather plain, lifeless, non-vibrato, non-singing performance. This appeals only to recorder players themselves, early music fans and academic music specialists. So, it’s only natural that the recorder, the way it’s designed, constructed, taught and played today, should face such a lack of popularity and even potential extinction in schools.
Miguel Lawrence
Ashford, Surrey
