Telemann: Paris Quartets

Ever the cosmopolitan, Georg Philipp Telemann continually sought in his music to unify the dominant French and Italian styles of his day. In preparation for a visit to Paris in 1730, Telemann had published six “quartets” as a thank-you gift to his hosts—flautist Michel Blavet, violinist Jean-Pierre Guignon, gambist Jean-Baptiste Forqueray, and a cellist/harpsichordist called Prince Édouard. Alas, he was unable to actually travel to Paris until 1737, at which point he published another six quartets. Since then, these twelve quartets—now known as the “Paris” Quartets—have charmed audiences with their melodic inventiveness and clever textures.