Conrad Mollenhauer Recorders

Student Recorders

Newly redesigned in 2009 as a substitute for the now discontinued Ninjo soprano is this excellent inexpensive soprano recorder for entry-level players. This instrument is made of pearwood and has a zippered semicircular canvas bag. Although slightly more expensive than the Ninjo model which it replaced, it is a substantial improvement and is in fact the least expensive high-quality wooden soprano currently available. The excellent padded case provided with the Student soprano is a vast improvement over the thin unpadded Ninja case; it is alone worth the additional cost.

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PRIMA Recorders

These Mollenhauer instruments are of hybrid construction, with textured plastic headjoints and wooden bodies. Although rather unorthodox in appearance, they do play very well and sound extremely rich and full. The headjoints, thanks to a novel windway design, are somewhat less prone to clogging than most all-plastic instruments. Both soprano and alto headjoints were originally available in several garish color choices, but both instruments are now available only in the less obtrusive beige plastic. Both models are provided with cloth bags. Please be advised that both models were discontinued after 2022 and will no longer be available once our current inventory has become depleted. The PRIMA soprano has been replaced by the Fipple soprano, availabe in four colors and several fingering variations. Please see below for detailed information.

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Fipple Recorders

These latest Mollenhauer student instruments, new for 2023, are of hybrid construction, with textured plastic headjoints and wooden bodies. They are essentially the same design and price as the discontinued PRIMA soprano recorders, but are now available in four different headjoint colors, with a choice of either baroque fingering with double holes or else German fingering with either single or double holes. A pentatonic model with single holes is also available. Because of the numerous model variations (sixteen in all!), we will not be able to keep them all in stock, but we will obtain them on special order for our educational customers with a delivery time of three to four weeks. Please specify color choice (mix and match colors if desired), fingering system, and single or double holes when placing an order.

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Canta Recorders

Completely new for 1999 was the Canta student soprano recorder of pearwood, with a full, broad, slightly windy and spread tone quality and good high register response. Since then, the series has been expanded with the introduction of alto, keyless and keyed tenor, and bent neck bass instruments. Tenors with additional middle keys and a bentneck greatbass were new for 2009. This series replaces and is vastly superior to the older Chorus student instruments.

The Canta instruments are particularly well suited for renaissance ensemble music, provide a viable low-cost alternative to renaissance reproduction recorders, and are a good deal easier to manage as well. The smaller instruments are supplied with a semicircular padded cloth pouch with zippered closure; the bentneck tenor, bass, and greatbass recorders are provided with excellent form-fitted hard cases made by Jacob Winter.

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Waldorf-Edition Recorders

New in our inventory for 2010 was this unique series of instruments, consisting of pentatonic flutes in d'', pentatonic soprano and tenor recorders, and a quartet of SATB recorders, which was developed by Mollenhauer specifically for use in Waldorf School music programs. The full-range recorder models are also extremely useful to early music performers wanting instruments with renaissance tonal properties that use standard modern fingerings and have the wide range and ease of playing characteristic of modern recorders. These instruments are in fact wide bore, late renaissance/early baroque-type transitional instruments in the van Eyck style, having a warm, full, blending tonal quality in the middle and low register, a bright, clear, ringing sound in the upper register, and a wide range of over two octaves. The soprano, alto, and tenor instruments are also eminently suitable for the early 17th century van Eyck solo pieces as well as the early 17th century Italian solo baroque pieces by Cima, della Casa, Fontana, and others. The pentatonic models are available on special order for educational customers, but the full-range soprano, alto, tenor, and bass recorders are in stock for immediate delivery.

Please note that the Waldorf-Edition Renaissance soprano is offered in a choice of single or double holes. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. On the single hole model, the low c# and d# are more difficult to play quickly and accurately, but the low d and e are fuller in tone and match better the other low register notes. On the double hole model, the low c# and d# are much easier to finger and play, but the low d and e are more thin, nasal, and pinched in tone and volume. Like everything else in life, you pays your money and takes your choice.

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Dream Recorders

Designed in collaboration with the Dutch maker Adriana Breukink, these are relatively inexpensive wide bore neo-renaissance soprano, alto, tenor, and bass recorders made of lightly-stained pearwood with dark brown rings. Inexpensive plastic sopranos were introduced in 2004, but have been more recently discontinued. New hand-made professional soprano, alto, and tenor models in plumwood with maple rings were introduced for 2012, and a matching plumwood bass recorder was made available in 2013.

The pearwood instruments produce a uniform, well-focused, but rather plain tone quality, with a full middle and low register; the sopranos are available in a choice of single or double tone holes, the larger models all have double holes, and all models use standard modern fingerings. The wooden instruments, as serviced and modified in our workshop, do not have the tuning and response problems common to the unserviced production instruments.

The newer hand-made plumwood instruments have a more complex windway design, are substantially richer in tone quality, and have superior response characteristics compared to the pearwood models. They are well worth the additional cost. The pearwood instruments are provided with semicircular padded cloth pouches with zippered closure, similar to those provided with the Canta series instruments. The plumwood models have handsome black leather cases. These models have just recently been renamed Dream-Edition.

Please note that the Dream pearwood soprano is offered in a choice of single or double holes. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. On the single hole model, the low c# and d# are more difficult to play quickly and accurately, but the low d and e are fuller in tone and match better the other low register notes. On the double hole model, the low c# and d# are much easier to finger and play, but the low d and e are more thin, nasal, and pinched in tone and volume. Like everything else in life, you pays your money and takes your choice.

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Denner Recorders

These recently redesigned instruments are excellent quality modern baroque-style recorders of moderate cost. They have curved windways, are rich, complex, sweet, and slightly reedy in tone quality, and offer superb intonation and high register response. They are available in pearwood as well as a wide variety of tropical hardwoods and are particularly well suited to baroque solo and ensemble repertoire. The smaller instruments are supplied with zippered semicircular padded cloth bags with genuine leather trim; the bass and greatbass are supplied with an excellent custom fitted hard case made by Jacob Winter. We also have excellent Winter combination cases designed to accommodate four or five Mollenhauer Denner recorders.

†The Mollenhauer Denner soprano recorder was awarded the coveted Deutscher Musikinstrumentenpreis when it was introduced back in 1999 for the most meritorious woodwind design in the entire German musical instrument industry. Excerpts from the jurors' comments about this instrument were as follows:

„Damit setzt sich die Flöte insgesamt weit vom übrigen Feld ab."

„…hervorragendes Instrument… mit einer insgesamt schlüssigen Gesamtkonzeption…"

„…besonders gutes Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis."

We congratulate our colleagues at the Mollenhauer workshop for this singular achievement.

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Modern Recorders

These innovative instruments are a further refinement and development by Mollenhauer of designs originally developed by the well-known recorder maker Joachim Paetzold of Tübingen, Germany, in collaboration with the young recorder virtuoso Nicolaj Tarasov. The alto recorder is about 1.25 inches longer than a standard alto recorder and has a double key for f'-f^#' which permits larger tone holes for the notes f^#', g', and g^#', eliminating the thin, nasal, or "pinched" quality caused by the small diameter double holes found on most modern recorders. This instrument has a clear, non-reedy, warm, flute-like tone quality which is highly uniform in color and volume throughout the entire range of two and half fully chromatic octaves. It has excellent projection and carrying power, is an ideal instrument for performing music of the late 18th century, 19th, and 20th centuries, and the hardwood models complement the tone quality of historical and modern pianos extremely well. Our custom retuning of this instrument permits the use of much simpler fingerings in the third octave than the extremely cumbersome ones recommended by the maker. All models are now being supplied with a custom fitted hard case. New for 2004 were three new alto models with a triple key mechanism that extends the lower range down an additional half tone to e', strengthens and stabilizes the tone in the lower register even further, and permits additional fingering choices in the third octave as well. New for 2005 was a companion soprano recorder in pearwood or grenadilla with triple b'-c''-c^#'' key.

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Maarten Helder Harmonic Recorders

These are superb if expensive solo alto and tenor recorders with extensive modern keywork and a wide range of over three octaves. Both models are now equipped with a "Sound Unit," which includes three interchangeable windway roofs and a special mechanism which allows modification of the voicing and control of tone quality and dynamics during performance by the lips. Provided with handsome custom-fitted hard case. This instrument is intended for the professional performer of nineteenth and twentieth century music. and is custom-made on special order only. The Evo tenor model is new for 2020 with a bentneck design. All prices are net and not subject to sale discounts.

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Elody Electric Recorders

The newest and perhaps most innovative recorder ever produced by the Mollenhauer workshop is the Elody Electric alto recorder, which features an integrated electronic pickup built into the headjoint. The acoustical design is derived from the earlier Mollenhauer Helder Harmonic alto recorder, has three keys including a low E key similar to those on the Modern alto recorder, and provides an extended range of almost three octaves. This instrument is intended for professional studio musicians and performers of rock, pop, jazz, and other alternative musical styles, but it should also be a great boon to players of more traditional music who find it necessary to compete in mixed ensembles with a variety of modern woodwind, brass, string, and keyboard instruments in churches, concert halls, or even out of doors. Just like the much more expensive Helder Harmonic alto recorder, it has a very full and loud tone with excellent projection, even when played acoustically without benefit of amplification. However, its full capabilities are realized when the electrical signal from the internal pickup is amplified or played through a mixer, synthesizer or signal processor. A connection cable and sturdy fitted aluminum road case are included.

The new Elody recorder was originally offered in three colorful standard finishes inspired by rock guitar designs. An additional nine models have since been released, although typically only three or four are available at any one time. In 2017 a number of special one-time models were produced in very small quantities of one or two. Some of these models are more conservative in color and design than the original production models and might well appeal to those players with more traditional tastes in recorders. An additional model in cherrywood, new for 2017, replaced the satinwood model of 2016, and is the most traditional model in appearance. Customers interested in having one of the Special Edition models should contact us immediately to determine current availability. All prices are substantially discounted and not subject to further sale discounts.

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Picco Flute

The Picco flute is intended as a transitional instrument from recorder to transverse flute for young players. It is essentially a soprano recorder body with a transverse flute headjoint. In spite of its extremely low price, it is nicely crafted and plays very well. It is the perfect choice for a recorder player wanting an inexpensive introduction to renaissance and baroque flute playing.

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Kynsecker Renaissance Recorders

These are authentic reproduction early 17th century-style late renaissance/early baroque recorders designed after a set of surviving original instruments by Hieronymous F. Kynsecker in the Nuremberg Germanisches Museum; they feature two piece construction with unique elaborate headjoint profile, wide, largely cylindrical bores with narrow, curved windways and large diameter single tone holes; they were scaled from the original pitch of a'=462 to a'=440 Hz., and have a useable range of two and a half octaves in the smaller sizes. The maple models have a somewhat spread, windy, and diffuse sound; they are best suited for ensemble use. The plumwood models have a richer, more complex tone quality, are ideal for 17th century solo repertoire like the van Eyck pieces as well as ensemble playing, and are well worth the modest increment in price.

The Kynsecker piccolo and sopranino recorders are supplied with cardboard boxes; the Kynsecker soprano, alto, and keyless tenors have a handsome semicircular black leather bag. The keyed tenors, basses, and greatbass are provided with custom fitted hard cases made by Jacob Winter. We recommend these instruments only to experienced players with well-developed playing techniques; less experienced players would probably be better off using the much less expensive Canta or Waldorf-Design instruments for renaissance ensemble music. Update: the entire Kynsecker series has been redesigned for 2018. We are selling our remaining stock of the original models at a 20% discount as long as supplies last.

The unique alto recorder in g' after Ganassi features a very wide bore with a pronounced flare in footjoint and has almost a three octave range, but has been out of production for several years and is currently being redesigned.

†Please note: these models have been discontinued and will be available at 20% off only as long as our current stock lasts.

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Denner-Edition Baroque Recorders

Due to the end of Mollenhauer's ten-year contract with the estate of Fred Morgan, their handmade baroque reproduction "Morgan-Edition" recorders have been slightly redesigned and renamed "Denner-Edition". These outstanding instruments have extremely narrow, highly curved windways and labium, heavily undercut toneholes, thread-lapped joints, and produce a sweet, gentle, rich, quiet, and complex tone quality. They are a good deal easier to manage and much less quirky than most other reproduction baroque recorders.

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Mollenhauer CD Demonstration Recordings

We now offer five private label CD recordings featuring instruments from the Mollenhauer workshop. We are making these available to our customers because they are unavailable through normal commercial channels.Note: all of these CDs are now discontinued, and availablity is limited to our current stock.

"Spinnaker" contains soft jazz played on the Mollenhauer PRIMA soprano and alto recorders by French jazz artist Jean-François Rousson and his combo. This album provides some very pleasant easy listening. "Cantabile" is a recital of late 18th and 19th century music performed by Nicolaj Tarasov and Michael Weiger on a variety of Modern recorders, including prototypes of other sizes not yet in production.

"Die Moderne Altflöte" is a demonstration of the capabilities of the new Mollenhauer Modern alto recorder in a wide variety of repertoire, performed by Nicolaj Tarasov. "Die Moderne Sopranflöte" is the companion recording for the soprano model. "Adri's Traumflöte" is a demonstration recording played on Mollenhauer Dream soprano, alto, and tenor recorders by a variety of players including Marion Verbruggen, Paul Leenhouts, designer Adriana Breukink herself, and a number of others.

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