* Besides the original Dieupart-Suites No 1 - 4 you can play many pieces composed for the transverse flute or violin on a Voice-Flute in the original key.



Johann Christoph Denner, Nürnberg (1655 – 1707)
mark: I C DENNER/ (in scroll with rolled up ends)

There exist two tenor-recorders in church-pitch (Chorton) at ca. a=425 Hz by Johann Christoph: One in the Brüggen collection, the other in the “Germanisches Nationalmuseum” in Nuremberg. Externally very similar, the bore varies from each other in an interesting way: The Nuremberg instrument has the typical Denner bore, i.e. slightly conical head-joint and much more conical centre - and foot-joint. The Amsterdam recorder has a gegengebohrtes (counter bored) head-joint, i.e. the narrowest point is at the last third of the bore.
This is atypical for all other Denner instruments. In comparison to the sister-instrument, the middle section is wider towards the 6th finger hole as well as the whole instrument.
Both instruments give the impression that the bore is not made to a pre-planned design, but constructed experimentally as a prototype (perhaps to suite a church with a very special organ-pitch). However, it would seem that the model was never put into production since it is not marked as such. Whatever the case this way of working was very unusual for the Denner’s!
In their present state their sound seems to have much of the characteristics of a Renaissance-recorder: not a brilliant tone but a very round and warm, slightly breathy one.

Johann Christoph was baptised on 3 August 1655 at Leipzig and was buried on 26 April 1707 at Nuremberg. His childhood was spent at Leipzig, where his parents moved between 1653 and 1654. Aged about 11 years old he moved with his family back to Nuremberg and he learned from his father the craft of making hunt-lures and hunting horns.
Soon after his time as journeyman in 1680, he began making woodwind-instruments. (see the above mentioned early-baroque soprano recorder). From 1694 he called himself “Flötenmacher” (flute-maker) and received “Meisterrecht” becoming a master woodwind maker.
Two of his sons, Jakob (b.1681) and Johann David (b. 1691) continued their father’s craft. Jakob in particular became a celebrated maker.
Johann Christoph, together with Johann Schell, was probably the first in Germany making “französische Instrumenta” (instruments in the French style). We can say with certainty that this refers to woodwinds (oboes, transversflutes and recorders) with the new late-baroque conical bore. These innovations are attributed to the Hotteterre family of woodwind instrument makers.
Already in 1694 Johann Christoph delivered to the Nürnberger Rat (Nuremberg Council) two “frantzesisches Fletten” or “Opera-Flöten”. (French flutes or opera-flutes)
Johann Christoph is considered to be one of the most outstanding makers of the 18th c. in Germany. (Nikkel)

Lit.: Herbert Heyde „Historische Musikinstrumente im Bachhaus Eisenach, Eisenach 1976. 
Ekkehart Nikkel, „Der Holzblasinstrumentenbau in der Freien Reichsstadt Nürnberg“, München 1971, ISBN 3-87397-008-2
William Waterhouse, „The New Langwill Index“ London, 1993, ISBN 0-946113-04-1
Pillip T. Young , 4900 Historical Woodwind Instruments, London 1993