automatic translation,
may not be accurate
may not be accurate
by Francesco Belfiore
What the 17th and 18th Centuries Can Still Teach Us
What did practice look like in the Baroque era? What did musicians believe was the true aim of all their hard work? Was it about speed? Virtuosity? Or was there something deeper — a lifelong shaping of body, mind, and spirit through music?
In our modern age of tutorials, metronome apps, and performance anxiety, it’s easy to forget that musicians of the past also wrestled with how to learn, how to refine, how to express. Long before standardized conservatory curricula and digital platforms, composers, theorists, and performers wrote with great clarity and urgency about how one becomes a musician. Their writings are not dusty prescriptions from a lost world — they are still burning with relevance. They speak to us not just as flutists, but as learners, artists, and expressive beings.
This page brings together a carefully selected set of historical quotes, drawn from some of the most influential Baroque and pre-Classical sources. They reflect a wide range of voices — from the rigorous pedagogues of Berlin and Dresden, to the elegant stylists of Paris, to the philosophical thinkers of early modern Europe. Despite their differing idioms, a shared vision emerges: practice is not merely repetition; it is formation.
To help make sense of these perspectives, the quotes have been grouped into four thematic categories. Each reveals a different facet of how musical practice was understood in the 17th and 18th centuries — and offers reflections that can directly inform and enrich our daily work on the traverso today.
As an amateur, student, teacher, or performer, we invite you to browse through the categories below.
Read slowly. Let these voices from the past challenge your habits, confirm your intuitions, or even awaken new approaches. Some of them may echo what you’ve long believed. Others may surprise you. All of them are part of the vast and vibrant tradition we continue to participate in each time we pick up the flute.
What did practice look like in the Baroque era? What did musicians believe was the true aim of all their hard work? Was it about speed? Virtuosity? Or was there something deeper — a lifelong shaping of body, mind, and spirit through music?
In our modern age of tutorials, metronome apps, and performance anxiety, it’s easy to forget that musicians of the past also wrestled with how to learn, how to refine, how to express. Long before standardized conservatory curricula and digital platforms, composers, theorists, and performers wrote with great clarity and urgency about how one becomes a musician. Their writings are not dusty prescriptions from a lost world — they are still burning with relevance. They speak to us not just as flutists, but as learners, artists, and expressive beings.
This page brings together a carefully selected set of historical quotes, drawn from some of the most influential Baroque and pre-Classical sources. They reflect a wide range of voices — from the rigorous pedagogues of Berlin and Dresden, to the elegant stylists of Paris, to the philosophical thinkers of early modern Europe. Despite their differing idioms, a shared vision emerges: practice is not merely repetition; it is formation.
To help make sense of these perspectives, the quotes have been grouped into four thematic categories. Each reveals a different facet of how musical practice was understood in the 17th and 18th centuries — and offers reflections that can directly inform and enrich our daily work on the traverso today.
As an amateur, student, teacher, or performer, we invite you to browse through the categories below.
Read slowly. Let these voices from the past challenge your habits, confirm your intuitions, or even awaken new approaches. Some of them may echo what you’ve long believed. Others may surprise you. All of them are part of the vast and vibrant tradition we continue to participate in each time we pick up the flute.
1. Diligence and Perseverance: the Foundation of Musical Growth
This category centers on the indispensable role of sustained effort, discipline, and inner motivation in musical practice. For Baroque musicians and pedagogues, excellence was never an accident: it was the fruit of daily, mindful repetition, combined with patience and unwavering dedication. The masters remind us that talent alone is insufficient — it must be paired with a deep love of the art and the will to persevere through difficulty.
|
|
2. Artistic Sensibility and Expression: The Goal of All Practice
Beyond technique lies the real aim of Baroque music: expression. This category groups authors who speak to the cultivation of goût, judgment, and emotional authenticity — all core values in the 17th and 18th centuries. The ideal performer is not just accurate, but expressive, capable of moving the listener. Practice is not merely repetition; it’s a vehicle for developing personal voice and musical rhetoric.
Beyond technique lies the real aim of Baroque music: expression. This category groups authors who speak to the cultivation of goût, judgment, and emotional authenticity — all core values in the 17th and 18th centuries. The ideal performer is not just accurate, but expressive, capable of moving the listener. Practice is not merely repetition; it’s a vehicle for developing personal voice and musical rhetoric.
|
|
3. Methodical and Thoughtful Practice: Practising With Purpose
This category is about how to practice. The authors here advocate for efficiency, intentionality, and awareness during study. Their concern is not how many hours one plays, but how well that time is spent. This includes advice on tempo, progression, and the value of mental engagement — not just muscle memory.
This category is about how to practice. The authors here advocate for efficiency, intentionality, and awareness during study. Their concern is not how many hours one plays, but how well that time is spent. This includes advice on tempo, progression, and the value of mental engagement — not just muscle memory.
|
|
4. Education of the Whole Musician: Beyond Mechanics
This final group touches on the broader human and intellectual formation of the musician. These authors emphasize that music is not merely a craft of fingers and lips — it requires taste, judgment, reason, and emotional insight. The training of a musician involves not only physical skills, but also the development of expressive intelligence, rhetorical awareness, and personal refinement.
This final group touches on the broader human and intellectual formation of the musician. These authors emphasize that music is not merely a craft of fingers and lips — it requires taste, judgment, reason, and emotional insight. The training of a musician involves not only physical skills, but also the development of expressive intelligence, rhetorical awareness, and personal refinement.
|
|
Historical Sources
| Author | Work | First Published |
|---|---|---|
| Johann Joachim Quantz | Versuch einer Anweisung die Flöte traversiere zu spielen | 1752, Berlin |
| Johann Mattheson | Der vollkommene Capellmeister | 1739, Hamburg |
| François Couperin | L’Art de toucher le clavecin | 1716, Paris |
| Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach | Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen (Part II) | 1762, Berlin |
| Michel de La Barre | Pièces pour la flûte traversière | 1702, Paris |
| Jean-Benjamin de La Borde | Essai sur la musique ancienne et moderne | 1780, Paris |
| Johann Friedrich Agricola (on Quantz) | Paraphrased commentary in pedagogical sources | Mid-18th century |
| Marin Mersenne | Harmonie universelle | 1636–1637, Paris |
| Girolamo Fantini | Modo per imparare a sonare di tromba | 1638, Florence |
| Jacques Hotteterre “Le Romain” | Principes de la flûte traversière | 1707, Paris |
| Johann David Heinichen | Der General-Bass in der Composition | 1728, Dresden |
|
|
