Jacques-Christoph Naudot

Nothing is presently known about the early life of this French flutist. His first publications for the instrument were released in 1726 and he is known to have been a teacher not only of the flute but also of the hurdy-gurdy and the musette. From the dedications ascribed in his works his students were among the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie. Though Naudot composed works for the musette and the hurdy-gurdy as well as some brief works for hunting horns and some vocal pieces, his most important compositions were concertos for the flute. Opus 11 of Naudot's works were only the second set of flute concertos to be printed in Europe; accordingly, Naudot helped to develop the flute as a solo concert instrument and to develop the literature for the instrument as well. Advanced flute techniques were required to play the concertos and sonatas as Naudot's stylings approached the galant. His shorter works, duets and trios, were much more accessible to the amateur musician and were reprinted on a number of different occasions. ~ Keith Johnson