Baroque
Baroque
Classical
Romantic
20th century
21st century
Solo repertoire
Piccolo
Alto flute
Bass flute
Boismortier Joseph Bodin de
Albinoni, Tomaso Giovanni
Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel
Bach, Johann Sebastian
Bach, Wilhelm Friedmann
Barre, Michel de la
Benda, Franz
Blavet, Michel
Boccherini, Luigi
Boismortier, Joseph Bodin de
Čart, Jiří
Chédeville, Nicolas
Corelli, Arcangelo
Corrette, Michel
Couperin, François
Handel, George Frideric
Hotteterre, Jacques-Martin
Leclair, Jean-Marie l'aîné
Locatelli, Pietro Antonio
Loeillet (de Gant), Jean-Baptiste
Marais, Marin
Marc, Thomas
Marcello, Benedetto
Martini, Giovanni Battista
Müthel, Johann Gottfried
Pachelbel, Johann
Pergolesi, Giovanni Battista
Platti, Giovanni Benedetto
Quantz, Johann Joachim
Telemann, Georg Philipp
Tromlitz, Johann George
Vitali, Tomaso Antonio
Vivaldi, Antonio
Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Op. 91
Suite for flute solo No 1 in E minor, Op. 35
Suite for flute solo No 2 in G Major, Op. 35
Suite for flute solo No 3 in G minor, Op. 35
Suite for flute solo No 4 in D Major, Op. 35
Suite for flute solo No 5 in B minor, Op. 35
Suite for flute solo No 6 in A Major, Op. 35
Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Op. 91
Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 91
Sonata No. 3 in G Major, Op. 91
Sonata No. 4 in E minor, Op. 91
Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Op. 91
J.B. Boismortier: Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Op. 91 for flute and piano was written around 1741 and published in 1742 as part of 6 "Sonates pour clavecin et une flûte traversière". Boismortier dedicated the Op. 91 sonatas to his "faithful friend," the celebrated French flutist and composer Michel Blavet.
These sonatas were groundbreaking at that time since they featured a concertante harpsichord part of equal importance to the flute, rather than just a simple basso continuo. The works show an advanced fusion of Italian and French styles. The harpsichord part, with its rapid scales and hand-crossings, likely reflects the influence of Domenico Scarlatti, whose works were becoming popular in Paris around 1740.
By the early 1740s, Boismortier was a highly successful freelance composer in Paris. He was famously productive (and sometimes criticized for it), being one of the first composers to live entirely on the earnings from the sale of his published music without needing a royal or aristocratic patron.
Gerard de Wit (harpsichord), 2015, Brilliant Classics / Kontor New Media
1. Sicilienne
Gerard de Wit (harpsichord), 2015, Brilliant Classics / Kontor New Media
2. Gayement
Gerard de Wit (harpsichord), 2015, Brilliant Classics / Kontor New Media
3. Gracieusement
Gerard de Wit (harpsichord), 2015, Brilliant Classics / Kontor New Media
4. Gayement
Boismortier Joseph Bodin de
Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689-1755) was a versatile French composer known for his operas, ballets, sacred music, as well as many instrumental works that helped to define the soundscape of early-18th-century Paris. Born and Thionville (France) and raised in Metz and Perpignan, he absorbed provincial musical life before moving to Paris in 1723, where he secured a royal privilege to engrave and publish his own music.
That entrepreneurial step—unusual for the time—let him write directly for the city’s booming market of skilled amateurs and print quickly in elegant, player-friendly editions. By his late fifties, he had issued well over 100 opus numbers, becoming not just popular but financially successful, a rare feat for a composer of his era.
By his late 50s he managed to compose and publish over 100 works and became very popular and even rich. Boismortier is known as the first composer to write the first French solo concerto (cello or bassoon) in 1729, as well as many compositions for the transverse flute. Since he wrote music mostly for amateur musicians, he also wrote a flute instruction method that has been considered lost.