Freunde in hohen Kreisen

The musette, which can best be described as a delicate variety of bagpipe, became a novel plaything for composers, performers, and instrument makers vying for the King's favor, thanks to the patronage of Louis XIV. By the 1760s, however, it had already become an integral part of French culture and musical life: it found its way into music for theater, court, and salons, and was played by both amateurs and virtuosos. With the French Revolution, the musette fell into oblivion and was only rediscovered in the 1960s. This album presents the unique sound world of the instrument in combination with baroque flute, baroque cello, and harpsichord. The works on this album, performed on original instruments by composers such as Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, Jacques-Christophe Naudot, and Jean-Baptiste Dupuits, demonstrate the virtuosity of the instruments. A duo by Esprit-Philippe Chédeville for two musettes points to the musette's rustic history, and the harmonically exciting trios by Alexandre Julien Dugué and Naudot are complemented by the beautiful simplicity of the solo works by Jean-Daniel Braun and Louis-Antoine Dornel for flute and harpsichord, respectively.

Multi-instrumentalist Amanda Babington has long been involved with early music as a recorder player and violinist, and a few years ago another instrument was added: the musette. She is a member of the chamber music ensembles AB24 and Four's Company and has already recorded several albums. After teaching at universities in Manchester and Liverpool, she is now a lecturer at the Royal Northern College of Music.