Johann Joachim Quantz
Johann Joachim Quantz (
January 30,
1697–
July 12,
1773) was a
German flutist, flute maker and
composer. He was born in
Oberscheden, near
Göttingen, Germany, and died in
Potsdam.
Quantz began his musical studies as a child with his uncle (his father - a
blacksmith - died when Quantz was young), later going to
Dresden and
Vienna. It was during his time as musician to
Frederick Augustus II of Poland that he began to concentrate on the flute, performing more and more on the instrument. He gradually became known as the finest flautist in Europe, and toured
France and
England. He became flute teacher, flute maker and composer to
Frederick II of Prussia (Frederick the Great) in
1740. He was an innovator in flute design, adding keys to the instrument to help with intonation (playing in tune), for example.
Although Quantz wrote many pieces of music, mainly for the flute (including around 300 flute
concertos), he is best known today as the author of
Versuch einer Anweisung die Flöte traversière zu spielen (1752), a treatise on flute playing. It is of great interest today as a source of information on
performance practice and flute technique in the
18th century.
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Information about the Quantz association
