Page:The story of the flute (IA storyofflute1914fitz).djvu/125

 and some have recently been republished in Paris. They are specially interesting as being the oldest flute solos now in print. An Englishman of French extraction named Louis Merci or Mercy (1690- 1750), who lived in Orange Court, Castle Street, Leicester Fields, would appear to have been the first British composer of solos for the flute, any of whose music still exists. Some of his flute solos can be seen in the British Museum. In his preface, Merci asserts the superiority of the flute to the violin, as equally capable of doing hard things and less loud or harsh in the high notes. He seems, however, to have always retained a hankering fondness for the recorder (his original instrument); and along with Stanesby (a famous wind instrument maker of that day) he devised a new system of non-transposing recorder.

Michel Blavet (1700-1768), a native of Besançon, gained a very high reputation by his playing, as both Quantz and Voltaire have testified. Frederick the Great tried in vain to retain his services. Blavet (who was left-handed) was principal flute in the Paris Opera House. He composed six sonatas for the flute, with figured bass (1732), and also some duets for two flutes. The sonatas have been recently republished, edited by L. Fleury for flute and pianoforte. They are in the Handelian style, each consisting of four or five short movements, chiefly in early dance measures, of a simple and tuneful character, and absolutely devoid of subtleties or intricacies of any kind.

The first German composer of original pieces for the flute was J.J. Ouantz, who wrote his first six sonatas