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In the first
half of the eighteenth
century - during which all
the four works on this
record were written - we find
the highly specialized
virtuoso appearing among the
flautists just as among the
players of other
instruments. The “stars”
Hotteterre, Blavet, Quantz
and Loeillet also enjoyed a
great reputation throughout
Europe as composers,
teachers or flute makers.
Jacques-Martin Hotteterre's
“Principes de la Flute
Tnaversière, ou Flute
d'Allemagne / de la Flute à
Bec, ou Flute douce / et du
Hautbois" appeared in many
editions and languages from
1707 to 1741, giving an
accuiate picture of the art
of flute playing in France.
The treatise "Versuch einer
Anweisung, die Flüte
traversière zu spielen" by
Quantz was published in 1752
in both German and French.
after which a Dutch
translation appeared in 1754
and, around 1780, two of the
main sections in English.
The Loeillets came from the
southern Netherlands, and
went to England. France and
Germany, where they were
greatly acclaimed as wind
virtuosi and composers.
If we consider the period of
musical history from 1650 to
1750 as it concems flutes,
flautists and flute music,
we cannot afford to ignore
certain basic facts. Both
main types of flute - the
recorder and the transverse
flute - were always clearly
and specifically named and
demanded by the composers of
that time. The designations
were, among others, Flauto,
Flauto dolce. Flute à Bec,
Flute douce. English or
Common Flute for the
recorder with F as its
fundamental note; Flauto
traverso, traversa. (Flute)
traversière, German Flute
for the transverse flute
with D as its fundamental
note (and with one key).
The designation German Flute
or Flute d’Allemagne must be
ascribed to a mistaken
belief prevailing at that
time that the transverse
flute had been "invented" by
the Germans. It was,
however, the French more
than anyone else who
cultivated the playing of
the Traversière up to about
1720; even in the German
court orchestras the
flautists were almost
exclusively French.
The transverse flute, built
with a cylindrical bore
before 1650, acquired a new,
markedly conical bore after
this date (probably an
invention of Hotteterre's),
as did also the recorder,
thus being enabled to assume
a solo role (on account of
the more powerful tone thus
achieved). The little known
and surprising fact that
there was never really the
type of recorder virtuoso
(in the same as the flute
virtuoso) is explained by
the circumstances in which
this type of musician arose
around 1700: the new
transverse flute had already
outstripped the recorder,
which was somewhat more
inflexible both in character
and construction, and made
itself more attractive for
playing involving extreme of
effect.
Thus Joh. Mattheson, in "Das
Neu-Eröffnete Orchester",
Hamburg 1713, "can get tired
and surfelred" of the once
so highly esteemed tone of
the recorder, "on account of
its soft and creeping
quality", as we also learn
from many other sources from
the period 1700-1750, when
musical style changed
rapidly - particularly in
Germany - from high baroque
through the 'galant' to the
sensitive style. The
sensitive style finally
chose the transverse flute
with its more radiant tone,
and dropped the recorder
completely. In 1750, the
years of Bach's death, the
composers hardly knew any
more about the old recorder
than about the viola da
gamba, which had likewise
become extinct in
competition with and against
the violin and the
violoncello.
It thus seems quite logical
that just "on the fringe"
various works came into
existence for recorder and
flute together. The
particular attractiveness of
these works lies in the fact
that both instruments,
although clearly
distinguishable through
their differing tone
spectrum, nevertheless sound
and mix very well together
(cf. also Telemann's Double
Concerto in E minor for
Recorder, Flute and
Orchestra - Telefunken AWT
9413-C/Stereo SAWT 9413-B.
Telemann's Quartet in
D minor is a piece from his
"Musique de Table" of 1733
(from the Second Part); with
its brilliant mixture of
French and Italian styles it
is the "best" (i.e.
strongest) work on this
record.
In the Quartet by Telemann
we find one recorder
contrasted with two flutes
in the Quartet by Fasch
this relationship is
reversed, as a result of
which various sections on
the work seem to suggest a
little concerto for flute.
It is known that Quantz
played the recorder in his
youth, and thus became well
"acquainted" with the
instrument. His Trio Sonata
in C major may well be an
example of his early,
moderately 'galant' mode of
writing.
In his Quintet in B minor, Loeillet
asks for two "Flauti di
voce", which were known in
England as "voice flutes".
These are tenor recorders in
D, instead of the usual ones
in C. Their combination with
two transverse flutes (thus
built in the same key)
produces a dark, hollow and
uncanny character, as a
result of which the
difference between the four
instruments is more
difficult to hear (probably
intentionally so).
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