DESCRIPTION:
Prelude in G. Re, Sol, 3ce. Mineure. Avec des Cadences sur tous les degrez de l'Octave. Gravement.

This is the second of two preludes that conclude Jacques Hotteterre's "L'Art de Préluder sur la Flûte Traversiere, sur la Flûte à Bec, sur le Hautbois et Autres Instrumens de Dessus," (Opera VII, Paris 1719), an exhaustive treatise on the "how-to's" of improvising preludes in early eighteenth-century French style. At the end of the prelude Hotteterre gives instructions for transposing it down a minor third: "Clef sur la 2e. ligne. le Ton est E, Si, Mi. Il faut descendre la Basse d'une 3ce." The transposed, e-minor version starts at 2:42.

The Cadences in the g-minor version (and their approximate timings) are as follows: Cadence sur la 5te. du Ton at 0:25; Sur la 4te. at 0:44; Sur la 6e. at 0:59; Sur la 7e. at 1:13; Sur la 3ce. at 1:30; sur le 2de. at 1:48; sur la 4te. at 2:03; and sur la Finale beginning at 2:22. Note that the resolution of the final cadence covers six full measures: it lasts about 20 seconds in this performance.

The recording was made using my Chevalier model flute after the ca. 1700 original in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Pitch is ca. a=405; the performance is live and unedited. Thank you for listening!