In Mannheim, the virtuoso flutist Johann Baptist Wendling provided Mozart with a place to stay, a piano, and a bundle of commissions for flute quartets and concertos. But there was a catch.
Debussy’s Syrinx is the piece that launched a thousand solo flute pieces. Its two-and-a-half minutes are evocative and filled with color.
Haydn developed a sideline writing for the growing commercial market. There was a lot of money in selling new works, or repackaging parts of old ones, like in these divertimentos.