Recorder Sonata in C minor, Op. 3, No. 5

Jean-Baptiste (da Gant) Loeillet: Recorder Sonatas Op. 3 was written around 1715 and published the same year (some sources cite 1717) by Estienne Roger in Amsterdam. This set represents a maturing of his style, increasingly blending the Italian sonata da chiesa form with French dance elements.
During the composition and publication of Op. 3, Loeillet was serving as a musician for the Archbishop of Lyon, Paul-François de Neufville de Villeroy. His life in Lyon was relatively stable, allowing him to produce a vast amount of chamber music specifically tailored for the recorder, which remained highly popular in France and England.
While Op. 1 and Op. 2 were more strictly Corellian, Op. 3 begins to show a "progression towards the Classical form," notably through the inclusion of minuet movements, which later became standard in the symphony and string quartet.
These sonatas often exceed the standard four-movement "slow-fast-slow-fast" pattern, frequently including five movements with named dances like the Gavotta, Sarabanda, or Giga.
Musicologists note that from Op. 3 onwards, the bass part becomes even more thematically significant. It often introduces the main theme for several bars before the recorder enters, a feature clearly seen in Op. 3, No. 12.