SONATA No.3 in F major & SONATA No.4 in C minor (Set 2)

Simon Balicourt (1706–1757), during a London career that lasted from 1735 (the year he arrived from the Continent) until his death, was a leading flautist and flute composer. He left two sets of flute sonatas, published in 1750 and 1760 respectively, each containing eight beautifully polished and musically imaginative works that draw equally on his German background and on the French-influenced tradition of flute-playing in his adoptive country. Suitable for both educational use and concert performance, these pieces – now appearing for the first time in a modern critical edition – deserve a place at the forefront of the late baroque repertoire for transverse flute.
In Sonata 3 in F major the opening Largo is styled as a ‘Siciliana’, an especially common type of movement in the flute repertory on account of the instrument’s pastoral associations. The following Spiritoso is both tuneful and energetic, and excitement increases in the concluding Presto, with its colourful, piquant harmonies.
Sonata 4 is in the shadowy key of C minor, a relatively rare instance in 18th-century flute music because of intonation difficulties. The opening Arioso is attractively plaintive, while the subsequent Allegro moderato is characterised by some highly effective imitative interplay between flute and bass. The soulful Cantabile finale, in minuet style, is reminiscent of similar C minor movements in the music of Alessandro Scarlatti and Francesco Geminiani.

• Sonata No.4 in C minor, Set 2

Delivery Details

We endeavour to dispatch all orders which are in stock on the day the order has been placed. If you need delivery by a certain time please state this clearly on your order and we will do our best to oblige.

For Royal Mail Special Delivery, Airmail (Signed For) and Courier shipments, a signature may be required upon delivery to your address. You are responsible for your order once the package arrives at the supplied delivery address. We cannot be held responsible if the package(s) goes missing once delivered. If any goods are received faulty or damaged on receipt, you must notify us within 7 days of receiving them (via email or telephone) quoting your order reference. We cannot be held responsible for goods that do not arrive with the customer due to errors made by the customer when entering their address details. Please ensure that you check all your details before confirming your order. For more information on deliveries, please click here.