Trivia
White recorders made from ivory
In ages past, the royalty and aristocracy of Europe sought out musical instruments made of highly valuable materials, so there are soprano recorders made of ebony and ivory, and also a 1-meter-long bass recorder made entirely of ivory. International commercial trade in ivory is now prohibited, in principle under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and Yamaha uses synthetic ivory in its instruments.
In addition to instruments made entirely of ivory, there are also recorders with joints made of ivory in order to strengthen them. The white recorders and those that are colored in combinations of white and brown (or black) can be traced to such practices.
A soprano and alto set made of ebony.
The white sections are made of synthetic ivory.