Les Folies d'Espagne for flute solo in D minor

M. Marais: Couplets de folies for solo flute in D minor was first published in 1701. The work was originally written for the bass viola da gamba and basso continuo, and consists of the theme and 32 variations. In the preface to the 1701 edition, Marais explicitly stated that these pieces were suitable for other instruments, including the transverse flute, violin, and theorbo.
Most likely the idea of variations came as a Marais's refference to Arcangelo Corelli's 12 Violin Sonatas, Op. 5, published in Rome. The final sonata in that set consisted of 24 variations on La Folia, the Iberian dance. Historians often view Marais’s Couplets de folies as a deliberate "French response" to Corelli's Italian masterpiece. While Corelli focused on violinistic virtuosity (arpeggios, wide leaps), Marais emphasized the French aesthetic: intricate ornamentation (agréments), rhythmic subtlety, and the characteristic "complaining" or "singing" tone of the viol.
The term Folia (or Follia) literally means "folly" or "madness". It originated as a high-energy, noisy, and fast-paced Portuguese folk dance from the late 15th century. The original dance was so fast and wild that the dancers appeared to have lost their minds, hence the name "Folly."
By the mid-17th century, the wild folk dance had evolved into the stately, slow, and somber Sarabande-like theme in D minor that is known today. This "Late Folia" became a standard ground bass (a repeating harmonic pattern) that hundreds of Baroque composers used for variations.
By titling his work Couplets de folies, Marais was directly referencing this "Folly" tradition. Each variation was called a couplet, and his 32 variations represent a journey from the somber opening to moments of technical "madness" at the end.