Mollenhauer Recorders: Denner, Modern Alto, Helder, Dream

March, 2008 Price List

 

Mollenhauer Denner Recorders

These instruments are suitable for demanding players of both solo and consort work. The design concept is based on late baroque construction principles along with consideration for modern requirements concerning sound, attack and pitch. The different wood types offer a variety of sounds. Baroque fingering, pitch 440 Hz. Sizes: sopranino to bass. All instruments have double holes or keys for the bottom two notes. Design by Fred Morgan.   Prices                                                                                                   Top of Page  

Fred Morgan Denner Altos

Australia -- country of immense wide open spaces and awesome landscapes... Here lived and worked one of the most outstanding makers of our times:  Frederick Morgan. 

No one else in his craft has received such worldwide recognition.  The list of those who have played his instruments in concerts and on CD's reads like the "Who’s Who" of the international recorder elite.  

Fred Morgan has left an enormously valuable legacy: the results of decades of research, instruments, designs...  

The purpose of the extensive and forward-looking partnership between Fred Morgan's wife, Ann, and Mollenhauer is to preserve, evaluate and develop Fred Morgan's lifetime work.  

Basing his model on the original Copenhagen instrument made by Jacob Denner (1681-1735), Fred Morgan initially developed a Denner Alto recorder with modern pitch (a' = 440Hz) for the Danish recorder player MIchala Petri.

Fred Morgan thus created a recorder with all advantages of the original instrument, great dynamic stability and above all a rich sound in the higher registers, fulfilling the highest demands.

Our "Mollenhauer and Morgan" Denner alto recorder was developed on the basis of this instrument and Fred Morgan’s original designs. It is now a part of our Denner Ensemble Set, which has already received a special award, the German Prize for Musical Instruments, for the Denner Soprano recorder.

In this way Fred Morgan's wish will be fulfilled: through serial production of the highest quality, the results of his research will become available to a wide circle of recorder players.

Denner                                                 Top of Page  

Click on highlighted entry for link to picture.

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Mollenhauer Morgan Edition Denner Alto  

A limited supply of the Morgan edition are manufactured.  This instrument is modeled after the Copenhagen original instrument of Jacob Denner (1681-1735), with modern pitch (a=440Hz), in Zapatero boxwood or European boxwood, and Baroque pitch (a=415Hz) in European boxwood.

The tone holes are strongly undercut with reduced diameters. The design produces the characteristic high-baroque sound qualities: Stability of pitch, modulation and dynamic range. 

Appearance: Zapatero boxwood instruments are historically stained; European boxwood instruments are unstained.

Sound: Each instrument is tuned carefully over an extended period of time.

Thumb hole bushing, threaded joints

Special warranty: 3 years

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Mollenhauer Harmonic Recorders

More and more recorder players are looking for louder recorders with a wider playing range. Only such recorders make it possible to expand the traditional recorder repertoire. These harmonic recorders are built according to totally new principles. With a redesigned bore and carefully adapted key mechanisms, it is possible to overblow the lower tones into perfectly tuned upper tones. Most standard recorders only overblow into weak or out of tune uppers that can serve at best as trill or muted notes. This might seem of little importance at first glance, but the result of this characteristic is truly revolutionary:

* Vastly increased sound volume, especially in the lowest octave, useful for playing with modern instruments and orchestras

* New, fascinating sound characteristics

* Useful playing range well into the 3rd octave

* Easily playable notes at normal volume in the 3rd octave

Harmonic recorders represent the forefront in recorder development: a new generation in the centuries' old recorder family! More information.

The Modern Alto & Soprano Recorders--Mollenhauer and Nikolaj Tarasov

This recorder is the result of a cooperative effort by the recorder player Nikolai Tarasov and the recorder maker Joachim Paetzold. These recorders really encourage one to try out new paths, to experiment, to adventure into previously inaccessible corners of the solo repertoire. The double/triple keys permit an easy-to-play system of finger positions in the 3rd octave.  Now available in two voicings: Modern and Baroque.  Modern sounds like a cross between a recorder and a flute, while the Baroque voicing is closer to a recorder in sound.  Modern Alto Review         Narcisse Bousque Grande Caprice 1 (mp3; 932 kb); Johann Sebastian Bach - Allemande aus der Partita BWV 1013 (mp3; 409 kb)

Modern Alto                                                                           Top of Page

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The Harmonic Tenor/Alto--Mollenhauer and Maarten Helder

These superb new, luxuriously equipped solo alto and tenor recorders with extensive modern keywork were developed by recorder maker Maarten Helder especially for today's demanding players who have greeted the instruments with enthusiasm. This instrument is intended for the professional performer of nineteenth and twentieth century music. 

The harmonic HELDER-recorders are supplied standard with a synthetic Synpore Strathman adjustable block..  This latter "Sound Unit" includes three interchangeable windway roofs and a special mechanism that allows modification of the voicing and control of tone quality and dynamics during performance by the lips, or by an adjustable screw. A 4-key system makes notes easily playable well into the 3rd octave. There is also expanded range below the normal bottom note (on the alto, an E; on the tenor, a B) thanks to a single key for the right little finger. In addition, the tenor now comes standard with a piano key.  Provided with handsome custom-fitted hard case.  More information.

You can get more detailed information about this and the other harmonic recorders by visiting the Mollenhauer site.  Harmonic Recorder Review

Harmonic Tenor/Alto                                                            Top of Page  

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Hard & Soft Cases                               Top of Page  

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Mollenhauer Kynseker Renaissance Recorders

Sopranos and altos now redesigned for much better intonation and tone throughout the range, with advice from Adriana Breukink.

Renaissance recorders according to Hieronymus F. Kynseker (1636-1686), Nurenberg). This model series is constructed following original instruments located in the Germanic National Museum in Nurenberg. We have expanded these models to a complete consort family while maintaining the essential sound characteristics, strong volume, and external shape of the originals. These instruments are especially noteworthy for their stability in the lower register. The fingering is similar to that of baroque instruments. Pitch 440 Hz, single holes/keys. Sizes garklein to great bass in C.

Kynseker Renaissance                                                      Top of Page  

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Mollenhauer Canta Recorders

The external form of this recorder series was developed in cooperation with teachers. Balanced weight makes holding easier. A versatile and reliable ensemble set with homogenous sound character. In natural pearwood or with mahogany stain. Provided with high-quality cloth carrier. Bass recorders in hard case. These instruments have strong lows and easy highs (at least a 2-octave range), with clear, easy speaking.  They are quite impressive and are popular instruments.  Sizes soprano to bass in F.  

Canta Pearwood                                                    Top of Page  

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Mollenhauer Dream Recorders by Adriana Breukink

Shape: Adapted from a medieval recorder, bore based on a van Eyck recorder.

Sound:  A Renaissance recorder with a powerful and robust tone, but with the Baroque two-octave range and fingering.

Tone holes:  Easy for children to find, thus ensuring a confident grip.

Now in soprano (natural, red or blue), alto and tenor.  The bass is now available, with the option of an A415 middle joint.  Top of Page

Dream Recorders, by Adriana Breukink