Jan Steenbergen (1676 - c.1730) was a Dutch woodwind instrument maker. According to an advertisement in the Amsterdamsche Courant of 10 June 1700, “Jan Steenbergen, master flute maker, presently residing in the Kerkstraat in Amsterdam, opposite the Amstelkerk, makes and sells various kinds of wind instruments for a fair price, to be paid only if satisfaction is provided; the said J. Steenbergen worked with the widely celebrated master Richard Haka for eight consecutive years and since that time has practised his profession as a master.”  Both the Moeck Steenbergen soprano and the Aesthé soprano of Jean-Luc Boudreau are modeled after his instruments, the difference being that the Moeck version is softer and sweeter, making it better for SATB ensembles and the Aesthé soprano is louder and more soloistic, making it excellent for sonatas and concertos. Several sopranos and altos survive in modern and museum collections and Jan Bouterse has called them “versatile instruments, suitable for a wide range of baroque music.” He also notes that their original pitch was close to A415 (he gives A410-415 as the range), meaning that modern copies do not have to scale the bore. In addition he feels Steenbergen was different from other Dutch makers, perhaps being more inspired by the recorders of English makers such as Bressan and Stanesby Sr. The ivory alto by Steenbergen, now in the National Music Instrument Museum in Vermillion, SD, is the only known Dutch recorder with double holes on 6 and 7.

                                                 Recorders for Sale    Recorder Methods                                             EMAIL:  bizweb5@yahoo.com