Pros: The upper part never descends beyond G 3. Some alternative passages added to the score reinforce this theory: a few «tutti» passages were transposed «alla bassa» (an octave below), since they reach the high E, a difficult note for the flute furthermore, some other passages were simplified, apparently for the same reason. This concerto seems to be an autograph manuscript and although the upper voice is clearly scored for «Flauto Traversier» the composition appears to have been originally conceived for a treble recorder – either in F or in G – and in a second moment assigned to the transverse flute. It must be clear that these are all conjectures.Ĭoncerto in C major, RV 88.

I have decided, therefore to «grade» the likelihood of a work to have been conceived for a recorder in G on a scale of one to four (with four being the most likely). So, after imposing these two conditions, let us look at the remaining concertos on an individual basis. Likewise, if the recorder part goes down to an F it is likely that it was not written for a G alto.

For practical reasons of fingering on the specific instrument we can, with relative certainty, assign all of the works with flat keys to the common treble in F. There are two useful rules of thumb for deciding whether a composition is to be played on an F or on a G recorder: the range of the part and the key it was written in. It is a remarkable fact that while all Italian literary references to the use of recorders do talk about recorders in G (Ganassi, Virgiliano, Bismantova) not a single Italian Renaissance or Baroque treatise makes any reference at all to an alto in F ( for more information, see this FAQ page). In fact the G alto recorder was an instrument that was common in Italy throughout the Renaissance and the Baroque periods. It seems quite certain that some of Vivaldi's concertos were written for the latter instrument. Let us focus our attention on the question of recorders in F (the common alto/treble recorder) and recorders in G. 10 six concertos for flute where most of these concertos are elaborations of earlier compositions for recorder.įurthermore, most of Vivaldi's flute/recorder parts have a relatively narrow range making it even more difficult to decide as to which kind of flute or recorder the work was actually conceived for. Particularly relevant to this is Vivaldi's Op. Although the category «Flauto Traverso» would seem to refer to a transverse flute, it must be taken into consideration that in some cases these compositions were actually adaptations for transverse flute of works originally intended for recorders adaptations driven by changes in musical taste what with the increasing popularity of the transverse flute. It is generally accepted that «Flauto» and «Flauto alla quarta» would imply recorders, with the former being an alto (treble) either in F or in G, and the latter being a soprano (descant) in C. The manuscript and printed sources of his concertos often bear headings like «Flauto», «Flauto alla quarta», «Flauto Traverso». In some cases it is even thought that both instruments may have been intended. It is still a question of debate as to whether Vivaldi's concertos scored for «flauto» were conceived for recorder or for flute.

Vivaldi flauto traverso