And now this from Forgotten Hits Musical Director, Chuck Buell …  

 

It was on this day sometime in the Middle Ages, the Recorder was invented.  

 

(OK, maybe not on this exact day but sometime in the 1500s!) 

 

And, obviously, not the Tape Recorder so many of us know so very well, but instead a rather famous Musical Instrument for most all of us Forgotten Hitters who grew up going to Elementary school Six Hundred Years after the “Middle Ages” were subjected to this medieval torture of being forced to learn to play the shrill-sounding "Recorder!  

 

Personal Spoiler Alert:  I detested creating that ear-piercing, teeth clenching, eye-squinting squealing sound as I made my futile attempt of “making music” when but a defenseless young Boy!

 

Oh, and why was this Brain-splitting Instrument called the “Recorder?” It doesn’t “record” anything in the sense of the word as we know it today.

 

Well, the instrument’s name is derived from the Latin word, “recordārī,” which means “to call to mind, remember, recollect,” which later in history was defined as “to remember, to learn by heart, to repeat.” 

 

In Latin, “re” means “again” and “cord” means to call from memory. I guess that’s the definition of “recording.” Simplifying all that, if one could sing a simple melody like, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” or “Bah, Bah Black Sheep,” one theoretically then could easily play a Recorder because they already knew the “tune.”

 

All this made me wonder if Manfred Mann who “recorded” his 1968 Hit, “The Mighty Quinn” played the Recorder when he was in Grade School.

 

Or, if Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and Papas, who co-wrote their 1966 Hit, “California Dreaming,” was an Elementary School Recorder Player.

 

Or, if Crispian St. Peter with his 1966 Hit “Pied Piper” was influenced by his early exposure to the Recorder!

 

Or if James Darren, with his 1961 Hit, “Goodbye Cruel World,” lobbied for a recorder sound.

 

So, here then is my “Chuck Buell Recorder Minute Medley Mashup Montage” focusing on these Artists' brief “recorder-sounding” elements in their songs, and a Minute and a Half Video revealing how the Recorder came about! 

(Best to watch "How the Recorder Came About," then my "Recorder Minute Medley!") 

 

 

CB ( which stands for “Corrupted Boy!” )

 

When played properly, the recorder (and its much more sophisticated cousin, the flute) can add a lot ... even to a rock song.  (Where would Chicago's "Colour My World" be without it?!?!)

 

And it grew from there ...

 

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull even went so far as to plug his in, creating a brand new and totally unique "electric flute" sound in their innovative music.  (How on earth are THESE guys not in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ... whose whole purpose was supposed to be recognizing and honoring artists that took rock music as an art form to a brand new level???  I'm not even particularly a fan of their stuff ... but what's right is right!!!)

 

A properly played flute can enhance any recording ... there may be no sound more beautiful.

 

I have to admit that I was shocked and surprised when I got this video Christmas Card last year from an old friend who I never would have suspected of having a soft spot in his heart for the beauty of a well-played flute ...

 

(Let's just say that he's not particularly known for his sensitivity level!)

 

Yet even he was still moved enough by the sound of this instrument to learn how to play it himself.

 

I just had to share it with you all today.  (kk)

 

 

kk