BAROQUE MUSIC FOR THE FLUTE AND PLUCKED INSTRUMENTS

As an online festival taking place around 21 March, the EMD Festival offers seven concerts proposed by the members of the European Network of Early Music. Every year, the programme encompasses early music in all its diversity: from solo to opera, from a few minutes of music to a complete work, we select for you the best of early music, to celebrate Early Music Day with your favorite artists and discover you net favourite pieces!

 

The concerts are broadcast in partnership with Total Baroque, and accompanied live by the artists: to enjoy the experience, just click on the link!

The video and live chat will be available on this page on 23 March at 8pm.

PRESENTATION

Flutes & Frets travels around Europe with music from the Renaissance and Baroque. From the 16th to the 18th century, there was a rich repertoire for different types of flutes and plucked instruments.The Mad Lover is a popular English play by John Fletcher from 1647 that exists in many adaptations. John Eccles and Daniel Purcell were commissioned to write music for the adaptation by librettist Peter Anthony Motteux, including this Air. This adaptation was first performed in the 1703-1704 theatre season.

The German Michael Praetorius, a pastor’s son, was a multitalented man. He composed many Protestant hymns, penned an important treatise on music in the form of the Syntagma Musicum and also wrote instrumental music. The collection Terpsichore from 1612, named after the muse of dance, contains more than three hundred instrumental dances. A few generations later, Georg Friedrich Telemann also composed instrumental music. His Sonata for flute in G major, TWV 41:G9 is one of the many works dating from 1725-1740, a period in which he was obliged to publish many compositions to save him from the bankruptcy that his wife’s gambling addiction almost caused. 
Marin Marais represents French music, although his Couplets de folies (1701) are also inspired by Spanish music. The folia was a shepherds’ dance with a recognisable, repetitive motif in the bass. Marais composed his ‘folies’ for the viol, but anonymous adaptations were also made for the flute. 
Famous composers were not the only ones who wrote flute music. Collections of anonymous folk tunes from the 17th century have also survived. Some of them come from Finland.

CREDITS

Musicians

Beth Stone historical flutes
Danny Murphy lute

August 2022
Production International Young Artist's Presentation 2022 (Musica & AMUZ)