François Devienne 7ième Concerto pour Flûte et Orchestre for Flute and Piano

François Devienne (1759 - 1803) was a French flutist and composer, as well as a founding professor at the Paris Conservatory, which was established in 1795. During his lifetime, Devienne composed over 300 works, most of which were scored for Wind Instruments.

Devienne belonged to a line of French flutists and composers who, over a period of a century, had adopted a German transverse Flute and made it a quintessentially French musical instrument. He followed the path of predecessors such as Michel de la Barre and Michel Blavet in establishing a French school of Flute playing and composition.

Devienne wrote hundreds of works for the Flute, as well as a renowned tuition manual. His 7th Concerto is thought by many to be the best of the dozen or more concertos that he composed during his lifetime. This concerto was composed in or around 1787, shortly before the French revolution. As in Mozart's later works, the passions of the time can be clearly heard - particularly in the vigorous opening theme in E minor. In contrast to the stately Allegro, the theme is gentle and lyrical, yet intriguing, with the Flute almost mimicking bird call.