1-6 Sonatas for transverse flute and bass, Op. 2

Pietro Antonio Locatelli: 12 Sonatas for transverse flute and bass, Op. 2, was written in the late 1720s and published in 1732. The collection is dedicated to Nicola Romswinkel, a wealthy Amsterdam merchant and amateur musician who was part of the city's "beau monde" that supported Locatelli.
Op. 2 represents a shift toward the emerging Style Galant. While his earlier works heavily favored the violin and followed the strict models of his teacher Arcangelo Corelli, these flute sonatas are admired for their "elegant and expressive melody" and "surprising turns of phrase".
The publication of Op. 2 marked a critical phase in Locatelli’s life following his permanent move to Amsterdam in 1729. In 1731, just before publishing Op. 2, Locatelli obtained a 15-year exclusive privilege from the States of Holland and West Friesland. This legal protection prevented unauthorized reprints of his work, a common issue in the competitive Dutch publishing market.
In his application for this privilege, he described himself as an "Italian music master living in Amsterdam," signaling his intent to abandon the life of a traveling soloist for a stable career in teaching and publishing.
By 1732, Locatelli was becoming a successful businessman. He was known for his vanity and self-assurance, often performing in diamond-studded clothes. He notoriously barred professional musicians from his private concerts to prevent them from "stealing" his technical innovations.