Louis Drouet

Quartet for flute and strings

While the quartet for flute and strings in C major (c. 1827) by itinerant flute virtuoso Louis Drouët belongs to a genre that had seen its heyday in the late 1770s and early 1780s, this composition shares few characteristics with its Classical predecessors. It is fundamentally a light-hearted showpiece for the flute in which the strings are relegated to an accompanying role. Set in four movements (the first in sonata-allegro form, the second a relatively brief adagio, the third ostensibly a minuetto and trio but in reality a scherzo, and the fourth a rondo), this quartet is very much a product of its time, when musical considerations frequently took second place to instrumental technique and bravura. However, the deceptively demanding flute part of Drouët's quartet also features episodes that afford evidence of the flautist's undeniable melodic gift, with the result that this work is both rewarding to perform and enjoyable to listen to.