Airs et Brunettes

Jacques-Martin Hotteterre (1673-1763), musician at the court of Louis XIV, was one of the first great French flutists. He composed various works for his favorite instrument, the transverse flute, and also wrote a number of important methods. One of the flutes he made is now preserved in the Styrian State Museum in Graz, Austria. A copy of the same instrument, made by flute maker Giardino Tardino, was used for this recording. Around 1721 Hotteterre published a collection in Paris titled Airs et brunettes. The name "brunettes" stands for "petites airs tendres", short and simple arias that are more folk in nature and often have a pastoral atmosphere. At the end of the book are twenty-one pieces for solo flute with ornaments - "agréments" or "doubles" - that are complex and refined, often with a free and flowing, almost improvised character. They are very delicate pieces, undoubtedly intended for pedagogical practice or simply for personal pleasure. That was precisely what attracted me most in these works and motivated me to make this recording. During the 2020-21 pandemic these little works were balm for my soul.