This carved ivory recorder was made by Jacob Denner, whose delivery of instruments to the Medici court in 1710 contains the earliest known reference to the clarinet.  He studied instrument making with his father, Johann Christoph alongside his brother Johann David, the brothers working as both players and makers.  Over 150 instruments from the Denner workshops survive, including flutes, oboes, shawms and bassoons.

The recorder is sounded by blowing into a beaked, whistle-style mouthpiece.  Although the number of finger holes can vary, most recorders have seven, together with the distinctive thumb hole on the back.  Recorders are widely used in Renaissance and Baroque music both as solo instruments and in consorts or ensembles.

Ivory has been used to make a variety of instruments, including flutes, clarinets and cornetti.  It has often been argued that the material from which an instrument is made has a direct influence on the sound produced.  However, it is likely that the properties of the material in question, particularly the ease with which it can be worked, are also important to the maker.

Literature

E.A.K. Ridley, Royal College of Music Museum of Instruments Catalogue Part I: European Wind Instruments (London: RCM, 1982), p.7.

A technical drawing of this instrument is available