Jacques Hotteterre
Jacques Hotteterre wrote flute suites and pièces for the private apartments of Louis XIV: music of douceur, elegant conversation and classical form at the heart of early eighteenth-century French chamber style.
A flautist, teacher and member of the Musique de la Chambre du Roi, he extended the repertory for the transverse flute with suites and pièces à deux dessus that prize refinement over display. On the page the writing is light and transparent; in performance it can bounce with cheerfulness even in graver movements, or settle into graceful nonchalance. His methods and L'Art de préluder helped fix how the instrument was taught and played across Europe. The sound belongs to Versailles and the Paris salons: intimate, delicate, and built for listening at close range.
Compositions by Jacques Hotteterre appear on
Venice to Versailles
Venice and Versailles stand for the two dominant Baroque styles in Europe: Venice for the robust, joyous exuberance and barocco character of the Italian manner, and Versailles for the refinement, delicacy, elegance and douceur of the French.
The Bedroom of the King (La Chambre du Roi)
Elysium Ensemble bring French chamber music of the early 18th century into the private apartments of Louis XIV: Couperin and Hotteterre in the douceur of Versailles and the Paris salons.