EarlyMusicNews.Org

" ... Graduated from high school in 1960 (or was it 61) went, no not to a conservatory, but to University to study Mathematics. I have been a math's teacher some years and then worked as a mathematician in research in Industry . In my thirties I started trying to play the Traverso. Some sixteen years ago I did the evening joiners education. Bought a lathe. And from one thing to another I found that flute making was a professional vocation for me. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: May 04, 2008 | Hits: 383

"I am Peter van der Poel and I make wooden wind instruments: recorders, clarinets and oboes. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 23, 2008 | Hits: 433

“I started making bassoons in 1977, later collaborating with bassoonist, Mr. Danny Bond, to develop some models of 18th and early 19th century bassoons. Danny is one of the leading performers on historical bassoons and is principal bassoon of The Orchestra of the 18th Century, and The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra in San Francisco. With Mr. Bond I first made rconstructions of bassoons by Prudent Thierriot, Paris (c.1770,) Heinrich Grenser (Dresden c. 1810),and a contrabassoon after A. Eichentopf (Germany, 1714). Many of these replicas found their way to musicians all over the world.
    
Together with Mr. Marc Vallon and later also with mr. Sergio Azzolini we did a project to reconstruct a German baroque bassoon from the period of J.S. Bach. Mr Vallon is principal bassoon of both the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and the Orchestre de Champs Elysiis. He also is professor early bassoon in the Paris CNSM. In 1995, 1996 and 1997 Mr. Vallon and I visited the musical instrument collections of Prague, Leipzig, Neurenberg and Linz to examine the bassoons made by the german makers I. Poerschman and J.H. Eichentopf, both working in Leipzig during the first half of the 18th century. This research resulted in a reconstruction of a Eichentopf bassoon that we finished in the summer of 1998. Many important bassoonists have ordered this instrument already.

After intensive research, together with Mr. Sergio Azzolini, we recently finished the first reconstruction of a four-keyed bassoon. The instrument is tuned to a=440 Hz., the Venetian pitch standard at the time of Vivaldi. The instrument possesses a special timbre that is perfectly suited to the language of Vivaldi.”

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Added on: Nov 24, 2011 | Hits: 210

“I studied recorder and baroque oboe at the Royal Conservatorium in The Hague. I received the diploma “uitvoerend musicus” for recorder under supervision of Ricardo Kanji in 1984. 1986 was the year I obtained “aantekening” Baroque oboe with support of Ku Ebbinge. …

The first ten years the activities were mostly aimed at the building of recorders. Since 1990 the interest has increasingly shifted to baroque oboe, because I wanted to make what I played most in concerts. Because of that I have build solely baroque oboes for several years.

Since 1984 I have worked at many orchestras as baroque oboist and sometimes as a recorder player. Some of these orchestras are “Les Musiciens du Louvre”, “The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra”, “Wiener Akademie”, “Les Arts Florissant”, Concerto Köln and many others. Important ensembles are Ottetto Amsterdam and baroque ensemble "Les Echos". At the moment, part of my activities besides building and playing oboes is the organisation of the Baroque Orchestra Florilegium Musicum which has specialised in the accompaniment of choirs. We play approximately 40 concerts a year. These activities in the organisation and the playing of baroque oboe could have the consequence that the planned delivery time of orders has to be postponed.”

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Added on: Nov 24, 2011 | Hits: 189

“I am a recorder maker and a professional recorder player. Since 1987 I have had my recorder-making workshop in the center The Hague, Holland.

Being a player myself, my approach towards instrument-making is based on the needs of the player in today's performance practice of early music. Therefore I aim for a rich sound and maximum flexibility in playing conditions within the possibilities of the recorder. I make instruments which invite the player to be active and creative in sound production. This as opposed to a different style of making, where the sound of the instrument is already there for you, the only thing you need to do is blow and it will work. Whether you blow in a lazy or active way, it doesn't matter really because on these instruments the sound is dictated to you. Easy, but for me not so interesting. My opinion is that if we want to take the recorder seriously, we will have to work for a good and/or our own sound, just as we have to do with no matter what other (wind)instrument.

I make my instruments after historical models found in museums and in private collections. I combine traditional craftsmanship with modern technology. For the client the advantage of direct contact with me as the maker of his instrument is evident: this contact enables me to fulfil the personal wishes of the player as much as possible. I consider helping you as an important part of my work, also after you have bought your instrument. Therefore you are always welcome with any problem or question you might have about your recorder. In principle revoicing and retuning work is free of charge and promptly done. My recorders are played by many musicians all over Europe, as well as in the U.S., South America and Japan. “

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Added on: Nov 24, 2011 | Hits: 161

"Adriana Breukink started playing the recorder at the age of nine. As a teenager, she already wanted to be a recorder maker, but there was no appropriate training available. When she was sixteen she went to the Conservatory in Rotterdam, and three years later she went to the Royal Conservatory at The Hague. There she studied recorder with Ricardo Kanji and Frans Bruggen. During her last year she took a course with Fred Morgan in making recorders, in the Conservatory workshop.

For many years she has been known for making Renaissance Consorts and Ganassi recorders, and she sends these to top soloists, ensembles and conservatories all over the world. In recent years, she has developed many new instruments, such as the Slide Recorder for Moeck, and the Dream Soprano, Dream Alto and Dream Tenor for Mollenhauer. The Dream bass is currently in development. One of her recent recorders is the 3 metre (10 foot) long Sub-contrabass in Bb. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 23, 2008 | Hits: 448

" ... At that time there was a great deal of interest in making more historically based instruments and I jumped directly onto the bandwagon of the authentic movement. I read all that was written about old recorders and visited as many museums and collections as I could, playing, measuring and photographing their originals. I had additional tuition from Eric Moulder and Graham Lyndon-Jones, who were both professional woodwind makers and part time lecturers at the college. I think it was quite early on that I realised I would have to travel if I were to make a business out of recorder making. The recorder scene in England was very large but extremely amateur and from a playing point of view, not nearly as wonderful as I had at first thought. So I travelled a lot in Europe, visiting both museums and music conservatories, learning about the original recorders at the same time as trying to develop contacts with players. This practice carried on long after I had finished my course at the LCF in 1982 and had established my first workshop in Reykjavik. My contacts with players were essential, to give me the necessary feedback on my work, which as a rotten player, I was unable to judge for myself. Even now, with twenty years experience, I still rely a great deal on the opinions of my customers, to help me develop my work. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 23, 2008 | Hits: 316

"Luca de Paolis, holds a degree in musicology with honours from the Bologna University, moreover he specialized in musical paleography from the Renaissance Institute in Rome. He has studied recorder with Paolo Capirci and kees Boeke. He has published the commentary to a recently published facsimile of the treatise "La Fontegara" by Silvestro Ganassi (Rome, SIFD, 1991), traslate in Spanish on the "Revista flauta de Pico" (n° 8/9, 1997).and is the co-author with Kees Boeke of a transcription of the third volume of the Baldwin M.S. (Rome, Garamond, 1995).

He has collaborated with the "Kees Boeke Consort" in transcribing "Missa Tenor" of the Cod. 89, Castle of the Buonconsiglio - Treno (Italy). At the first time this composition was performed by the Hilliard Ensemble to Festival the "Bludenzer tage zeitgemasser musik '98 (Austria).

For over fifteen years, he produce and restore the historical recorders. He makes medioeval recorder in Pythagorean tune, renaissance recorders in Ganassi and Van Eyck styles, cylindrical bore recorders after those by P. Grece and Rafi in the Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna, as wel as baroque recorders after Bressan, Denner, Stanesby Jr., Steenbergen and Hallett. Woods used include Italian box, ebony, maple, olive, pear, thorn bush and other fruitwoods. As constructor is particularly careful to the cure of the historical sound realized through one exact reproduction of the original voicing. His instruments are more and more appreciate to international vituosos musicians. " Visit website for more information. (ed)

Added on: Apr 13, 2008 | Hits: 499

" Ray Sloan vividly remembers the day he first heard bagpipes other than the ubiquitous Great Highland Bagpipes. It was in 1964 as an 11 year old at school in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne when his Art Teacher emerged from the store room strapped in to an instrument driven by a flapping arm attached to bellows, that instrument was the Northumbrian Smallpipe. He remembers being absolutely smitten by the sound of the pipes at a time when the Beatles and Rolling Stones were the preferred sound of his generation, little did he know that 16 years later history would repeat itself when Ray himself became an Art Teacher and Piper/Pipemaker. That experience as a young boy never left Ray but it was not until as a young man of 24 that he was financially able to achieve his dream and buy a set of pipes.

It was as a fine maker of Northumbrian Smallpipes that Ray first established himself as a Pipemaker of International repute, but what really changed his life further was his introduction to the traditional music of Ireland played by the likes of ‘The Bothy Band’, ‘Planxty’ and ‘The Chieftains’, more specifically the wonderful and compelling sound of the Uilleann Pipes. After 10 years or so experience in making Smallpipes he embarked upon the next stage of his journey as a Pipemaker and started to make the Irish Uilleann Pipes eventually choosing to make these in preference to anything else.

Ray gave up Teaching to become a full-time professional Pipemaker in 1988 and to this day continues to develop his style and design in pursuit of perfection. The importance of his experience and training in Art & Design cannot be underestimated when it comes to making Pipes as his visual skills and attention to detail and design shine through in every aspect of his work. While being uniquely his own the design of his Uilleann Pipes is eclectic and broadly based upon the traditions and styles set by the old masters such as Coyne, kenna, Rowsome and Reid. Ray approaches each set of pipes he makes as completely individual and different in some small way to the previous, which means that you as a client will receive a set of Pipes hand-made for you personally.

Ray currently lives in SW France and is preparing to move to the West of Ireland this year – 2008. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: May 04, 2008 | Hits: 508

"I have studied traverso at the Royal Conservatory, The Hague with Wilbert Hazelzet. I began making flutes in 1994, after a one year apprenticeship with Peter van der Poel. In the years 1995-1998 worked at the Gemeente Museum in The Hague, were I was compiling a catalogue of the Baroque flutes in the collection, as well as doing conservation work of various woodwinds. This was a wonderful opportunity to be in close contact with a relatively large collection of very interesting instruments and enabled me to appreciate the old makers' wonderful work at close hand. A lot of the flutes I copy are from this collection. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: May 04, 2008 | Hits: 502

“.. My objective has always been to recreate the sound of the instruments as they were in their original state.

My instruments are available in Boxwood, Maple, Cormier  or Grenadille. Boxwood can be a bit capricious and requires a special stabilization process. Its particular tone color makes it a favorite of recorder players. Grenadille, also known as  Mozambique Ebony, is a very stable wood from the Dalbergia family and is considered top-notch among tropical woods.    Compared to Black Ebony from Africa, it is very resistant to cracks. Maple is an amazing wood because its sound is velvety and powerful but is light in terms of weight. In addition, recorders made of maple are very resistant to the problems of condensation. Cormier is a wood from the Alisier family, a precious wood from our area.  It resembles pear wood, though harder and a little bit more dense.  It is not porous, which make it very appealing. ..“

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Added on: Mar 18, 2010 | Hits: 410

Bagpipe maker.

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Added on: Feb 08, 2010 | Hits: 423

“On this website you will find pages devoted to two types of wind instruments, quite different, but ultimately close in many aspects. These are my two passions which I now devote my life to creating and which I offer to you.

Firstly, there are the baroque transverse flutes, also called traversos or one keyed flutes.

I offer several hand-made concert flutes, the perfect woodwind instrument for playing baroque music, in it’s varied styles and typical of that period.

In my work, I am looking to recreate the unique sound peculiar to the musical individuality of each of the baroque flute models that I offer and to provide an individual musical quality, sympathetic to the original sound. ..“

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Added on: Feb 08, 2010 | Hits: 447

"Philippe Bolton graduated from Lille Conservatory in France in 1975 with a gold medal. He then established himself as a recorder maker, preferring to live from this type of activity rather than playing.

He has exhibited his instruments in many European countries (particularly Austria, Germany, Holland and the United Kingdom), in Australia, USA and Japan. He exports about half his production outside France. Over the years he has developed a several different types of recorders, of which some are "copies" and others entirely of his own design. In 1980 he became a "Maître Artisan" (Master Craftsmen) and the next year he won the "Grand Prix Régional des Métiers d'Art”) for the Provence region of France.

His production ranges from reconstructions of medieval recorders to pre-baroque and baroque instruments. He has also recently developed an electroacoustic recorder for widening the instrument’s repertoire towards jazz and contemporary music.

He has taught recorder making on various occasions in Australia, in Belgium and in France. " Well designed and informative site. Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 30, 2008 | Hits: 409

Flute maker.

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Added on: Feb 08, 2010 | Hits: 477

Early clarinet maker.

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Added on: Feb 08, 2010 | Hits: 458

"Welcome to baroqueflutes.net, the homepage of Eugène Crijnen. Eugène was born in Holland in 1962 and started playing the flute at the age of 5 under the influence of Frans Brüggen and followed by master classes with Barthold Kuijken & Wilbert Hazelzet. Eugène started playing concerts all around the world at a young age and in 1983 he began making baroque flutes for himself. Many of the best flute players in the world now use his instruments. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: May 05, 2008 | Hits: 531

Recorder maker.

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Added on: Feb 08, 2010 | Hits: 603

“Claire Soubeyran has settled her workshop near Paris.

Since 1979, she has been building traverso and flutes after historical  instruments of the baroque classic and romantic aera.
Her production includes traverso flutes from the early baroque three joint flutes up to the first Boehm system.

As a renown specialist in woodwind conservation she has been working for private and public collections (musée de la Musique in Paris, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, Metropolitan Museum in New York).

She is the maker for international soloists and her flutes are played in numerous concerts and recordings (Les Talents Lyriques, L'orchestre des Champs Elysées, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Les Arts Florissants, Concerto Köln, Stradivaria etc).

Claire Soubeyran likes to work in close collaboration with  the flutists and she constantly improves the quality of her flutes in order to match their expectations

She received, in 1994 the Musicora award for the creation of student  traverso and, in 1998, the Musicora and craftmanship ministry award for her re creation of a conical boehm system wooden flute.”

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Added on: Nov 24, 2011 | Hits: 283

During the period from 1974 to 2001, a large number of Renaissance and early Baroque recorders as well as Bible regals was built.

Due to my appointment of June 2001 as a curator of the Musikhistorisk Museum in Copenhagen, I am not able to accept orders for new instruments; but retuning, revoicing and minor repairs will be undertaken by arrangement.

I graduated as an M.A. in music and mathematics in 1973. Detailed studies of extant historical instruments provided the basis for establishing the workshop in 1974. Parallel with my work as instrument maker I have been active as a teacher at numerous courses of early music in Germany and Denmark, with the subjects Renaissance consort music and recorder ensemble playing. Since 2001 I am employed as a curator by Musikhistorisk Museum, Copenhagen.

Added on: Apr 27, 2009 | Hits: 423

I have been rebuilding historical instruments for over 30 years. I have been working in various museums and private collections all over Europe and in the USA measuring and studying numerous historical instruments. I am now working for museums. After an education as fine mechanic I started to study musicology, information-theory and linguistics. My special field of interest was research of tone colours. Since 1973 I have been working for musicians and composers arond the world for whom I have invented and developed various sound generators. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: May 04, 2008 | Hits: 468

Recorder maker. Visit website for more informations. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 23, 2008 | Hits: 458

“ .. . .the recorders I make today are replicas or near copies of the original instrument played in the baroque era.

It might seem unnecessary to make five alto instruments all in the same pitch, but I think we should maintain the diversity of the past. The stylistic differences between the various recorder makers were enormous, especially when they worked long distances from each other and were influenced by different musicians and composers of the day. 
    
That is why each instrument not only had it's own unique sound and look, but also it's own individual feel to it when played. We can sometimes only guess at the use made of a particular instrument by studying it's measurements. ..“ Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 27, 2009 | Hits: 507

“We build our Renaissance flutes in imitation of preserved originals and according to historical construction principles at the pitches of a=440 Hz or a=415 Hz, and in a single piece construction method. If requested, you may receive your Renaissance flute in two pieces, 0making it easier to transport. We use plumwood - and, when specially requested and at an extra charge, also European boxwood. ..“

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Added on: Feb 08, 2010 | Hits: 465

Fridtjof Aurin  Transverse Flutes

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Added on: Feb 07, 2010 | Hits: 417