Moeck 1212 School Soprano Recorder

Along with oboe ad flute, which I still play occasionally, the recorder is my favorite woodwind instrument and the one which gets a bit of daily practice. From an amateur recorderist's perspective - I'm primarily a stringed instrument player yet I own and play a sizeable roster of recorders, sopranino to basset in both wood and plastic, either transitional or baroque - this very model has always held a place in my heart. Its open voicing, long scale and good ergonomics all concur to achieve a clear, pleasing tone with good expression capabilites, markedly different from the tone you get with either Renaissance or Baroque replicas.

I already play a few maple instruments, including a couple of vintage Tuju sopranos from the 1950's and 1970's, so I chose the pearwood version for a change - the difference in tone from the maple 1210 is subtle yet discernible, and perhaps tone is more apt to further sweeten with age.

Recorder design, remodeling, and production techniques saw a major improvement over the last couple of decades and this reflects on all of today's premier brands. Moeck makes no exception so precision and consistency in their products are guaranteed. My two maple Moeck Rottenburgh, a mid 1970's alto and a 1994 soprano, never disappointed me.

Regarding wooden entry level recorders there are many machine-made sopranos on the market today that won't break the bank, but don't let yourself led by price only for there are many "lemons" out there side by side with the good ones. Gerald Schneider, for one, fits the first category. After parting ways with his brother Ralf, today he goes on carrying the family tradition. Materials, workmanship and consistency are now better than ever. The firm keeps producing 'old school', wide voiced, flat labium, excellent recorders with a distinct tone character. Clear satin finish has superseded the gloss vintage reddish brown, almost a trademark for nearly all former DDR factories. Today both Primus and Barockform lines share the same bore and voicing, are correctly tuned and sound really good.

Among the duds, the nameless mass produced recorders available from the major online stores for a pocket change can be filed among the worst "recorder shaped objects" ever churned out in this century. Balsa-like maple, utterly careless workmanship, zero attention to details and nonexistent intonation. They cost a fraction of the already modestly priced Moeck Schulflöte, but the latter flies circles around those coarsely crafted, insipid, plaintive wood chunks. Today even a basic neobaroque style recorder in maple or pearwood can be bought for a comparatively small sum.

Along with Mollenhauer's Student 1042 in pearwood, another well-made soprano recorder among Thomann lineup, sharing the same basic orientation and featuring the elevated double hole 7 to help young students and players with small hands, this is the perfect recorder to learn on. Its loud, clear and soaring tone reveals even more apt to fit contemporary and folk music than historic replicas because of its open voicing leading to a warm, pleasing tone character. When you're learning double articulation the Moeck Schulflöte is second to none, more forgiving than many a neobaroque recorder, plus it sounds the full 2½ range - up to top G, standard fingering - without becoming shrill.

While I rate Mollenhauer's Student a tad easier to master than the Moeck Schulflöte for a total newbie who's coming to grips with proper breathing and articulation because its utter evenness of tone, if at the expense of boasting less 'edge', the Moeck remains a true classic with a distinct tonal personality. Highly recommended.