Hotteterre: Complete Duos

Contains the 3 books of pieces plus a few works from other collections. You can pay three times as much if you buy this music in individual publications.

This volume contains all three of Hotteterre’s suites à deux dessus, previously only published separately, together with the two pieces from the end of his Op. 2, otherwise consisting of music for flute and continuo. These last two pieces were also included at the end of Toussaint Bordet’s Méthode Raisonée, published in the 1750s: as there are some differences in the ornamentation in this later version of the first of the two pieces, we have included it in the appendix — interestingly, it notates the notes inégales that one would assume in this music as dotted notes.
The transcription follows the original printed version, surviving in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, and available in facsimile;1 this has less ornamentation in the Première Suite than some modern editions, which presumably are following a different copy of Hotteterre’s print, with manuscript additions.

The title page to the Première Suite includes a note along the bottom in very small print, explaining that the music can be played on flûtes à bec by adopting the usual minor third transposition: this is what we have done in the edition.2 The title pages of three suites gives multiple instrumentation: Flûtes traversieres, Flûtes-a-bec, Violes etc. for the first two, and Flûtes traversies, flûtes a bec, hautbois & Muzettes for the third suite. The second suite is dedicated to Monsieur du Fargis, Chamberlain to the King of France, after whom the duet from Op. 2 is presumably named.

In playing this music it is essential to understand how to interpret the ornaments, and to add them when appropriate. Fortunately, Hotteterre’s Traité de la Flûte Traversière gives us a table of ornaments, included in this volume.

(David Katz)