Moeck Rottenburg Alto Recorder

The Rottenburgh is one of the standard professional-grade recorders, valued for its rich, even tone and reliable intonation throughout the range. Worked in bubinga, a dense African hardwood, this alto sits toward the brighter, fuller end of the Rottenburgh voice, with the projection and volume the harder woods tend to give.

It uses baroque (English) fingering and is tuned to A=442, the usual modern pitch for ensemble and continuo playing, with double holes at the lowest tone holes for clean chromatic work in the bottom register.

In good condition overall. There is some discoloration around the beak from regular play at some point in its life, consistent with normal use and not affecting how it plays.

About the Maker

Moeck has built recorders in Celle, Germany since Hermann Johannes Moeck founded the firm in 1930. The Rottenburgh series, introduced in the late 1960s, was designed for Moeck by the American master recorder maker Friedrich von Huene, after original instruments by the Belgian baroque maker Jean-Hyacinthe Rottenburgh (1672 to 1756). The series is widely credited with helping the recorder move beyond its reputation as a beginner's instrument and find a place in professional and university music.