Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773)

Quotation

Baroque music in the early 18th century began to feature wind instruments in chamber music, particularly the new "German" or transverse flute. Johann Joachim Quantz was its leading exponent; he was known across Europe as the greatest flute virtuoso, composer and theorist. In addition to his copious musical output, which included hundreds of sonatas, quartets and concerti, Quantz published the most important treatise on flute performance practice, Essay on Playing the Flute, in 1752. The essay was valued not only for its specific technical instruction, but also for its general guidance on musical style, taste and ornamentation. Quantz served for over 30 years as the royal court musician, composer and teacher to Frederick the Great of Prussia. The Trio Sonata, a composition for two or more solo instruments and continuo accompaniment, was the central form of Baroque chamber music, the most important ancestor of the classical string quartet. - from Music at Kohl Mansion

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Biographical

Johann Joachim Quantz was a German flautist, flute maker and composer. He was born on January 30, 1697 in Oberscheden, near Gottingen, Germany, and died on July 12, 1773 in Potsdam. Quantz began his musical studies as a child with his uncle (his blacksmith father died when Quantz was young), later going to Dresden and Vienna. It was during his time as musician to Frederick Augustus II of Poland that he began to concentrate on the flute, performing more and more on the instrument. He gradually became known as the finest flautist in Europe, and toured France and England. He became flute teacher, flute maker and composer to Frederick II of Prussia (Frederick the Great) in 1740. He was an innovator in flute design, adding keys to the instrument to help with intonation (playing in tune), for example. Although Quantz wrote many pieces of music, mainly for the flute (including around 300 flute concertos), he is best known today as the author of Versuch einer Anweisung die Flote traversiere zu spielen (1752), a treatise on flute playing. It is of great interest today as a source of information on performance practice and flute technique in the 18th century. [This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License and uses material adapted in whole or in part from the Wikipedia article on Johann Joachim Quantz.]