about this recording:
Jacques Hotteterre le Romain (1674 – 1763)is the most important representative of the Hotteterre family, a dynasty which left itsmark on music history: since 1650 various generations of the family were employed as members of the Royal ensembles during the reigns of Louis XIV and XV. In addition, they established themselves as innovative woodwind instrument builders. We owe the development of the traverso, recorder, oboe and musette as Baroque prototypes to the family Hotteterre, a process already accomplished during Jaques Hotteterre’s lifetime. He was primarily a wind player, but also a composer, a sought after teacher and a successful author. He probably also made flutes. It was his flute
and musette playing, however, which set new standards.
In 1707 he published his opus 1, the first treatise in the use of the modern, three-piece, conically-built traverso with one key: Principes de la Flute traversière ou Flute d´Allemagne, de la Flute à bec ou Flute douce et du Haut-Bois. The work includes a socalled Traité on the recorder and a very short instruction on playing the oboe. In this book he also announces the imminent publication of his own compositions, no doubt expected with great anticipation by his readers. These works (opus 2) were published in 1708 and are presented on this CD: the Pièces pour la flute traversière, et autres instruments, avec la basse-continue.