DGTALREVIVAL
MUSICAL HERITAGE THROUGH THE LENS OF CONTEPORARY TECHNOLOGY
DGTALREVIVAL represents a synthesis of musical heritage, genres, art forms, and communities. We achieve this by literally breathing new life into historical instruments with unique stories. This project brings the past to life by meticulously sampling and recreating historical instruments in the digital realm. In doing so, the listener is immersed in past sounds while offering a modern experience of timeless musical beauty.
Our Instruments
Richard Haka Flute
Our first edition is dedicated to the Richard Haka Flute, the only known traverso of its kind, carrying its unique structure, approximately measured at 365 hertz. Today, the sole playable instrument resides in the Rijksmuseum, a testament to its rarity and historical significance. Crafted by Richard Haka, this instrument carries the legacy of a maker who mentored a generation of artisans who followed in his footsteps.
This instrument has never been recorded, making it an especially intriguing challenge for us. Sampling the Haka flute meant venturing into uncharted territory, not only capturing its unique voice but also immersing ourselves in the literature and language of the traverso flute. Throughout this process, we engaged in in-depth conversations with master players like Kate Clark, whose insights helped us better understand the instrument’s historical and musical context.
“It’s tuning reflects characteristics of the Renaissance flute, to which it is most closely related. Like other simple system flutes of its time, it produces a notably low F-sharp, but what makes it particularly unique is its extremely low E-flat. Renaissance flutes lacked a dedicated hole for E-flat, but the Haka flute was among the first traversos to feature a seventh tone hole, covered by a key on its widened foot joint. However, due to the small size of the hole and the thick construction of the foot, the E-flat remains notably low, adding to the instrument’s quirky and expressive voice.”
Kate Clark.
Richard Haka Soprano Recorder
Our second edition highlights a remarkable instrument from the Frans Bruggen collection: The Richard Haka Soprano Recorder in C.
Approximately measured at 409 hertz, this particular recorder was used by Frans himself in several of his recordings from the 1960s and 70s. It carries a truly distinctive sonic character, bold, expressive, and unmistakably unique.
We were deeply honored to receive the Bruggen family’s permission to visit their home and capture samples of this historically significant instrument together with Walter Van Hauwe.
You can also hear this recorder featured in Lucie Horch’s latest release, The Frans Bruggen Project, where it continues to breathe life into Frans’s legacy.
“Over the past six decades, I have been able to play many historical recorders. There were difficult and easy instruments among them. The Haka soprano recorder discussed here from the collection of Frans Brüggen, is, at least for me, one of the most obvious recorders. I only needed a handful of notes to find the soul of the instrument. Based on a thin and fast air stream, the instrument remains in optimal balance: in sound, focus, and over the entire ambitus quickly responding to any articulation; an absolute top instrument. Many good builders should make copies of it”
Walter Van Hauwe
Engelbert Terton Soprano Recorder
This finely crafted soprano recorder, made around 1720 by Engelbert Terton, is a rare example of Dutch baroque instrument-making. Terton, active in Amsterdam in the early 18th century, was renowned for the precision and beauty of his woodwinds. This particular recorder, made from boxwood and adorned with silver mounts on the head and foot joints, is the only known Terton instrument with such ornamentation. It is currently housed in the Rijksmuseum, on loan from the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag.
What gives this instrument particular historical and musical resonance is its connection to Frans Brüggen, the legendary recorder virtuoso and pioneer of the early music revival. Brüggen owned and played several original instruments by Terton, and his interpretations helped reintroduce their subtle tonal qualities to modern audiences. While this recorder was not part of Brüggen’s personal collection, its maker, period, and type are closely linked to the very instruments he championed. His performances and recordings using Terton recorders helped establish them as some of the finest surviving examples of the baroque recorder tradition..
“The fascinating thing about playing a historical instrument is that, if you want to do justice to the quality of the instrument, the player really has to learn to listen to what the instrument wants from you. Where the type of string and bow are important for a string instrument, and the quality of the reed for a reed instrument, the control of the airflow is all-important for a recorder. With a recorder, the sound and timbre are determined by the block, mercilessly stiff and rigidly shaped by the builder. The extremely subtle relationships between the shape of the windway and labium are completely decisive. It is then up to the player to find the best relationship between the speed of the airflow and a subtle, flexible articulation so that the instrument can come into its own. The player will have to find that a new with each recorder.”
Walter Van Hauwe
“Since I started my musical journey at a young age, I’ve been immersed in the world of wind controllers, exploring their vast potential for musical expression and creative sound design. One of my main tools has been using sampled instruments capturing and manipulating sounds from virtually any source to craft new sonic experiences.
In recent years, my focus has shifted toward a deeply personal and innovative mission: reviving historical instruments that can no longer be played due to their fragile condition. By combining wind controller technology with high-quality sampling techniques, I aim to breathe new life into these rare and often forgotten instruments digitally restoring their voices to be heard and appreciated once again.
This project is about more than sound, it’s about storytelling. Each instrument has a history, a character, and a unique timbre that speaks of a different time. Through digital recreation, I strive to preserve their legacy and open new creative pathways for musicians and sound designers alike”.
Originally from Israel, Itai has been based in Amsterdam since 2006. In 2012, he graduated with summa cum laude honors from the Conservatory of Amsterdam with a Master’s degree in Jazz Saxophone. After graduation, he was invited to join the conservatory’s teaching staff, where he taught the EWI to enthusiastic students.
Itai is an active performer and a member of several international jazz and pop ensembles. With these groups, he has performed at major venues and festivals such as the North Sea Jazz Festival, Jazz in Marciac, Jazzahead and more
Itai specializes in playing the EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument), a synthesizer-like instrument controlled by breath. The EWI offers a wide range of sounds and is considered by many to be the most expressive controller today. For years, it has been featured in film scores, jazz and Pop recordings, and live shows.