Tenor Recorder thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Tenor Recorder

ca. 1945 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The tenor recorder is a long, soft-sounding wind instrument, which was widely used in musical ensembles until the 1780s, when it was increasingly replaced by the flute. From about 1890 this instrument was resurrected, largely through the efforts of Arnold Dolmetsch (1858-1940), a friend of William Morris and a leading pioneer of the Early Music Revival. His son Carl Dolmetsch (1911-1997) continued this tradition, both as a musician and as a maker of musical instruments at the family workshop in Haslemere, Surrey. Through Carl Dolmetsch's efforts, the recorder has been widely used in schools since the early 1960s as a means of teaching music at elementary level. This example was made in about 1945 for Professor Patrick Lawther, C.B.E. (1921-2008), a founding member of the Goble Recorder Trio and later an eminent physician.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Turned ivory and rosewood
Brief description
Tenor recorder, turned rosewood with ivory joints, mouthpiece and bell, made by Carl Dolmetsch, Haslemere, ca. 1945
Physical description
Tenor recorder of turned rosewood with ivory joints, mouthpiece and bell.
Dimensions
  • Length: 61cm
  • Bell diameter: 4.9cm
  • Mouthpiece diameter: 4.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'DOLMETSCH BS3499 MADE IN ENGLAND' (On underside of upper joint)
  • '19662' (On underside of upper joint)
Credit line
Given by Prof. Patrick Lawther CBE
Object history
This instrument was made by Carl Dolmetsch (1911-1997) in about 1945 and given to the Victoria and Albert Museum by Prof. Patrick Lawther, C.B.E., (1921-2008), in May 2006. Prof. Lawther had been a semi-professional musician and a founder member of the Goble Recorder Trio, formed in 1939. After the 2nd World War, he studied medicine and later became an eminent specialist in respiratory diseases at St Bartholemew's Hospital, London.
Historical context
This instrument was made by Carl Dolmetsch (1911-1997) in about 1945 and represents a bridge between the 'Pre-Raphaelite' world of Early Music of his father, Arnold Dolmetsch (1858-1940), and the explosion of popularity of Early Music that took place in the 1960s and 1970s.
Summary
The tenor recorder is a long, soft-sounding wind instrument, which was widely used in musical ensembles until the 1780s, when it was increasingly replaced by the flute. From about 1890 this instrument was resurrected, largely through the efforts of Arnold Dolmetsch (1858-1940), a friend of William Morris and a leading pioneer of the Early Music Revival. His son Carl Dolmetsch (1911-1997) continued this tradition, both as a musician and as a maker of musical instruments at the family workshop in Haslemere, Surrey. Through Carl Dolmetsch's efforts, the recorder has been widely used in schools since the early 1960s as a means of teaching music at elementary level. This example was made in about 1945 for Professor Patrick Lawther, C.B.E. (1921-2008), a founding member of the Goble Recorder Trio and later an eminent physician.
Collection
Accession number
W.12-2006

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Record createdJanuary 9, 2008
Record URL
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