Hotteterre, Jean
Hotteterre, Haulteterre, Hauterre, Hautetère, Hoterre, Obterre, Opterre Jacques Martin, known as le Romain, *29 September 1674 Paris, †16 July 1763 Paris, French composer and a virtuoso on the flutes and musette, son of Martin.
He likely spent his youth in Italy. From around 1708, he served as a bassoonist in the Grands Hautbois du Roi ensemble and as the royal “flûtiste de la Chambre.” He was also a highly regarded teacher of the flute and musette in court circles, as well as a maker of these instruments. Three flutes from his workshop have survived (at the Staatliches Institut für Musikforschung in Berlin, the Landesmuseum Joanneum in Graz, and the State Institute of Theatre, Music, and Cinema in St. Petersburg (now the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts)).
Hotteterre composed exclusively instrumental solo and chamber music, mostly accompanied by basso continuo. The collection Première suite de pièces, Op. 4, is the first printed collection in France of works without basso continuo. The Sonates en trio, Op. 3, structured in the sonata da chiesa form, show the influence of Italian music. A characteristic feature of his works is the varied instrumentation (various types of flutes, oboe, violin and others) and a virtuosic treatment of the instruments, thanks to which Hotteterre’s compositions have become a valuable source of knowledge regarding the development of ornamentation in the 18th century (e.g. both editions of Pièces, Op. 2, are provided with explanatory prefaces, whilst the 1715 edition contains a table of ornaments). Thanks to his outstanding playing technique, captured in his compositions and teaching works, Hotteterre laid the foundations of the French flute school, in which the transverse flute predominated. Of particular significance is Principes de la flûte traversière…, the first French flute method book, reprinted many times and translated into other languages, which also contains a comparison and description of the transverse flute and recorder, as well as instructions for playing the oboe. The other two works—on the art of improvisation and a manual on playing the musette—did not achieve such a wide reach.
Literature: E. Thoinan Les Hotteterre et les Chédeville. Célèbres joueurs et facteurs de flûtes, hautbois, bassons et musettes de XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles, Paris 1894; N. Mauger Les Hotteterre […] supplément à la brochure publiée en 1894 par E. Thoinan, Paris 1912; D. Lasocki Introduction to J. Hotteterre le Romain “Principles of the Flute, Recorder and Oboe”, New York 1968; M. Benoit Musiques de cour. Chapelle, chambre, écurie, 1661–1733, Paris 1971; Ph. Bate The Oboe. An Outline of Its History, Development and Construction, London 1956, revised 2nd edition 1962, 3rd edition 1975, Polish edition titled Obój od A do Z, translated by J. Bronowicz, Krakow 1974; E. Towarnicki, J. Kusiak, J. Mroczek, L. Lic, J. Kozłowski Flet od A do Z, Krakow 1977.
Compositions:
for transverse flutes or other baroque instruments:
Pièces Op. 2, Paris 1708, 2nd revised edition 1715
Sonates en trio Op. 3, Paris 1712
Première suitte de pièces Op. 4, Paris 1712 (without b.c.)
Deuxième livre de pièces Op. 5, Paris 1715
Deuxième suitte de pièces Op. 6, Paris1717
Troisième suitte de pièces Op. 8, Paris 1722
Concert du rossignol (lost)
works in collective editions, including 3 arias in Recueil d’airs sérieux et à boire de différents auteurs…, Paris 1701 reprinted 1715
Sonata en trio, MS Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris
carillon and 4 preludes in Recueils de simphonies de plusieurs opéras modernes & fanfares & préludes Paris 1743, MS Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris
***
arrangements for 2–3 flutes or other instruments, including:
Airs et brunettes […] tiréz des meilleurs autheurs, Paris 1721
Sonates à 2 dessus par le Sigr R. Valente Op. 5, Paris 1721
Sonates à 2 dessus par le Sigr. F. Torelio Op. 1, Paris 1723
T. Albinoni’s trios (lost)
Writings:
Principes de la flûte traversière ou flûte d’Allemagne, de la flûte à bec, ou flûte douce, et du haut-bois, diviséz par traitéz, Op. 1, Paris 1707, 7th edition 1741, reprint titled Méthode pour apprendre à jouer en très peu de temps de la flûte traversière, de la flûte à bec et du hautbois…, ca. 1765, English translation titled The newest method for learners on the german flute, London n.d., Dutch translation, Amsterdam 1728
L’art de préluder sur la flûte traversière, sur la flûte-à-bec, sur le hautbois et autres instruments de dessus avec des préludes tous faits sur tous les tons dans differens mouvemens et differens caractères…, Op. 7, Paris 1719
Méthode pour la musette, contenant des principes, par le moyen desquels on peut apprendre à jouer de cet instrument, de soy-méme au défaut de maître…, Op. 10, Paris 1737
Editions:
Suite in B minor from Op. 4, ed. K. Zöller, «Flete-Duette alter Meister» I, Hamburg 1962
Preludes, ed. B. Bag, D. Lasocki, London 1968
Hotteterre’s works 227 Selections from Preludes and Sletches for Block-Flete, 2 vols., ed. G. Vellekoop, Amsterdam 1968
Trio Sonata Op. 3 Nos. 1 and 2, ed. H. Ruf, «Antiqua» no number, Mainz 1968–69
Suite Op. 5 No. 2, ed. H. Ruf, «Hortus Musicus» CXCVIII, Kassel 1969
Principes de la flute traversière…, facsimile edition with German translation, ed. H.J. Hellwig, Kassel 1942, 2nd edition 1958, also English edition P.M. Douglas, New York 1968 and D. Lasocki, London and New York 1968
L’art de préluder sur la flûte traversière…, ed. M. Sanvoisin, A. Geoffroy-Dechaume, Paris 1966
Méthode pour la musette…, Paris 1977