Blavet, M :: Sonata No. 5 in D Major, Op. 2

French Baroque composer Michel Blavet's (1700-1768) life is a rags-to-riches story, with the young commoner teaching himself to play flute, becoming a famous flautist, then taking a music post in the Parisian aristocracy, where he died with fame and wealth. His sonatas, published as his Opus 2, first appeared in 1731 and contain six movements in the style of character pieces, with some carrying the first or family names of his friends or patrons or a title word which would have given the performer an idea about the meaning or manner of performance. This edition by Susanella Noble clarifies the ornamentation from the original into more modern symbols.

Movements:

1. La Chauvet is a gentle and graceful movement.
2. Allegro is a dance movement featuring imitative melodic motives and virtuosic passages.
3. Le Marc-Antoine is a lyrical aria movement featuring ritornello technique: the first melody keeps returning between and after each of the subsequent contrasting melodies.
4. Les Regrets is a contrasting second aria in D minor which also uses the technique of ritornello.
5. Fuga: The first flute begins with the subject of the fugue at the opening, while the second part opens with harmony.
6. La Dedale is a lively little gavotte, and should be taken briskly enough so it is felt in one beat to the measure.

Includes score and parts.