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Here are versions of the VERY GREATEST MUSIC (in our opinion), with J. S. Bach a central focus, that can be adapted for the people’s instrument—alto recorder—and keyboard, for alto and bass recorder duet, and other combinations.

Our promise: Recorder players will never in this website be at a loss for a challenge or for a high quality of music, at a low price.

Uses of these transcriptions for you, for any students you may have, maybe even for your teacher(s):

Études for technique improvement.
Ways of becoming acquainted with a wide swath of musical history, such as many astounding but little-known Bach cantata obbligatos.
Secondary emphasis on bass recorder repertoire, including solos without the sneaking suspicion that the alto is more appropriate.
Don’t listen to great music and consider it done, but continue discovering it from the inside by playing it in transcription. Expand your recorder horizons!
And of course, put these on your concert programs.

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A few suggestions, from our vast Catalog:

Solos and Duets for Intermediate-plus level Players
Other works of about the same difficulty level: Aria from Cantata 51, Bourrée I & II from English Suite No. 1, BWV 1046 Trio, Scarlatti K. 208, Satie Gnossiennes 1-3, Sonata, BWV 1021, “Son binocle” and Petite ouverture by Satie, WTC 2 Prélude no. 22

Arrangements for alto and kbd. (mostly)

Ever a favorite, from Bach’s Schübler Chorales: BWV 650
For advanced players: arr. of Kbd. concertos, 5 organ trio sonatas, 1st, 3rd and 4th Cello Suites, all with newly composed bass lines, the Passacaglia, “Dorian” Toccata, BWV 540/1, 541, 542, 544/1, the “Italian Concerto”, Brandenburg Concerto #3, and #2 & 4 in kbd. reduction versions
“Goldberg” Aria & 10 Variations
Lute suites BWV 996-7, arias etc., from Cantata 7, 114, 29, 94, 97
The exquisite Schubert fragment, D. 571, with a new completion
Arrs. of works by composers long unheard for various reasons, e.g.: Strozzi, Chabrier, Joplin, F. Caccini, Jacquet de la Guerre, Fanny Mendelssohn, St.-Georges, a huge specialty of this website, and von Martinez, another particularly remarkable & neglected composer
In the past few years, huge additions from Mozart, such as 12 Sonate da Chiesa, Schubert, such as D. 574, 1st mvt., and Mahler, such as the famous Adagietto
For bass & kbd: Bach’s “Deathbed” Chorale, Lento assai from Beethoven’s Op. 135 (doubling alto)
Bach’s “Das alte Jahr vergangen ist” and Radetzky March, both appropriate for New Year’s Eve
12 large (c. 80-150+ pp.) groupings—very inexpensive—of solo pts. from the following sections: 1. Bach Concertos 2. Bach Organ music 3. Bach Keyboard Works, Pt. One 4. Bach Keyboard Works Pt. Two 5. Bach Chamber Works, Pt. One 6. Bach Misc. Chamber & Vocal Works 7. Bach Cantatas 8. Pre-Mozart, non-Bach No. 1 9. Pre-Mozart, non-Bach No. 2 10. Early Mozart 11. Later Mozart & Early 19th c. 12. Post-Schubert

Arrangements for recorder duet/trio/quartet, etc.

Complete W.F. Bach Flute (6) and Viola (3) duets transcribed for 2 altos
Many duets for alto & bass (or S&T), e.g. Mahler’s “Das himmlische Leben”, “Von der Jugend”, Excerpt from 2nd Symphony, appropriate for memorial services
Set of 24 Duets from Mediæval to Mahler, primarily for soprano & alto
Set of 30 English Country Dances arr. for S&A
From Dufay to de Falla, a large group for different duet combinations
Wa is me, what mun I do!— 8 duets
Duets from Bartok’s Mikrokosmos
The sublime Bach’s Cantata 4/3, arr. for 3 recs
Quartets/Quintets from Bach, Beethoven, Satie, and a group of 19th-c. composers looking backward
The beloved duet “Wir eilen,” from Cantata 78

Stand-alone solos, etc.

From the “difficult” modernists: Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern
From their quasi-godfather Mahler
R. Strauss

and many, many more in 5 different categories, ever-growing as long as Arranger/Composer Scheide can draw breath. Please see also jscheidemusic.com.