Treble Recorder thumbnail 1
Treble Recorder thumbnail 2
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Treble Recorder

ca. 1730 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

John Just Schuchart (active 1726-1756) was a London-based wind instrument maker, who probably came from Germany. During his lifetime, the soft-sounding treble recorder was still widely used in musical ensembles, but by the end of the 18th century it had beern largely replaced by the flute, which had a more penetrating sound. This recorder is made of boxwood, a reddish and densely grained wood, often used for making wind instruments during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
turned boxwood tubing, turned ivory mounts
Brief description
Treble recorder, boxwood with ivory mounts, J.Schuchart, English, about 1730.
Physical description
"Boxwood in three joints, ivory mounted. The main joint has been cut down by about 14 mm, evidently with the intention of sharpening the instrument by about a semitone." Anthony Baines, Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments (London, 1998), p. 86
Dimensions
  • Length: 47cm
  • Sounding length length: 42cm
  • Bore (internal diameter) at top of main joint. diameter: 1.85cm
  • Bore at bottom of main joint diameter: 1.45cm
  • Bore at lower end of the foot diameter: 1.25cm
Measurements taken from Anthony Baines:Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments. (London, 1998), p. 92
Marks and inscriptions
I/Schuchart (Stamped below the whistle-vent of the mouthpiece and in the middle of the main joint.)
Gallery label
(pre September 2000)
TREBLE RECORDER
By Johan Schuchart, London, about 1730
Ivory, with the three joints, each stamped I/Schuchart

Non-Keyboard Catalogue No.: 20/4

Johan Schuchart made flutes, recorders and oboes in London and was claimed by his son to have expanded the lower range of the flute.

287-1882
Object history
This instrument formed part of the collections of Carl Engel (1818 - 1882) and was bought by this Museum in 1882 for £1-10-0 (£1.50).
Summary
John Just Schuchart (active 1726-1756) was a London-based wind instrument maker, who probably came from Germany. During his lifetime, the soft-sounding treble recorder was still widely used in musical ensembles, but by the end of the 18th century it had beern largely replaced by the flute, which had a more penetrating sound. This recorder is made of boxwood, a reddish and densely grained wood, often used for making wind instruments during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Bibliographic reference
Anthony Baines: Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments. (London, 1998), p. 86
Collection
Accession number
287-1882

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Record createdMay 16, 2001
Record URL
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