The son of a blacksmith, Quantz served a musical apprenticeship from 1708 to 1713, during which time he became proficient on the oboe, the trumpet and several string instruments. He joined the Dresden town band in 1716, becoming oboist in the Polish chapel of Augustus II (Elector of Saxony and King of Poland) in 1718. Not seeing many opportunities for professional advancement as an oboist, Quantz began studying the flute in 1719, furthering his knowledge of the instrument and his exposure to varied musical styles with trips to France, Italy and England. By 1728 he had achieved a measure of fame throughout the continent and was promoted to the regular Dresden court chapel, where he was no longer required to double on oboe.

In May of 1728, Quantz accompanied Augustus II on a visit to Berlin, where at the Prussian court he made the acquaintance of Prince Frederick. Quantz became engaged as the prince's flute instructor, returning to the Prussian court twice a year for lessons. Quantz continued at Dresden until 1740, when Frederick — now King Frederick II of Prussia — enticed him away for an annual salary of 2000 thalers, a 250% increase in his wages. Frederick sweetened the deal by assuring the flutist that he would answer only to the monarch, would be exempted from playing in the opera orchestra, would be paid extra for composing music and making new flutes, and would alone be given the privilege of criticizing Frederick's flute playing.

Once employed by Frederick, Quantz dispensed with concert tours, concentrating on his musical duties to the King at Berlin and Potsdam. These duties included organizing Frederick's private evening concerts, at which he and the king would often perform as flute soloist with the court musicians. Held in the king's chambers, these performances would usually involve only a handful of musicians (as is the case with this evening's performance).

A prolific composer, Quantz produced over 300 concertos for the flute, in addition to more than 235 flute sonatas and many other instrumental works. At least 250 of the flute concertos survive, yet to date few have been published or recorded. Such is the case with the E minor concerto on this evening's program, one of four manuscript scores in the possession of the Library of Congress.

Quantz's lasting contribution to music, however, is not his body of compositions, but his 1752 book, Versuch einer Anweisung die Flöte transversiere zu spielen, which to this day remains an invaluable resource not only for flutists, but for all musicians interested in the performance practice of the period.

© 2002 Jeff Eldridge