Jacques-Martin Hotteterre

About the Author

Jacques-Martin Hotteterre (1674–1763), often hailed as the father of modern woodwind playing, was a French composer, performer, and instrument maker whose innovations profoundly shaped Baroque music. Born into a family of renowned instrument makers in Paris, Hotteterre mastered the flute, recorder, and oboe from an early age, serving as a chamber musician to King Louis XIV. His seminal treatise, Principles of the Flute, Recorder and Oboe (Principes De La Flute), published in 1707, provided the first comprehensive method for transverse flute technique, including fingering charts, ornamentation guidelines, and performance practices that revolutionized woodwind pedagogy. Beyond instruction, Hotteterre composed suites and concertos that blended French elegance with Italian influences, leaving an enduring legacy in the evolution of wind instruments and early music performance.