In the early 17th century, Michael Praetorius used the diminutive term "basset" (small bass) to describe this size of recorder as the lowest member of the "four-foot" consort, in which the instruments sound an octave higher than the corresponding human voices.
Praetorius calls the next-lower instrument (bottom note B♭2) a "bass", and the instrument an octave lower than the basset (with bottom note F2) a Großbaß, or "large bass".
[1][2] The bass is usually the lowest instrument of the recorder consort, but it may be used as an alto in "eight-foot" register in the so-called "great consort" or grand jeux, in which case two larger sizes of bass recorder take the lower parts and a tenor may be used as an optional descant.
[3] In the recording of Led Zeppelin's song "Stairway to Heaven" that appears on their untitled fourth studio album, John Paul Jones played four overdubbed bass recorders.
Composer Ludwig Göransson employed a bass recorder for the opening melody of the TV series The Mandalorian.