Joseph Bodin de Boismortier – Trio Sonata for 3 flutes No.6, Op.

7
Analysis by Konstantinos Avdimiotis

General Information:
This sonata by French composer Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689-1755), the last
of his Six Sonatas for Flute Trio, Op.7 (originally published in 1725), is a Baroque-era piece
with most of the characteristics of its style. It consists of four movements, each of which is
actually a dance, making the composition resemble a Baroque Suite. Also, compositional
techniques such as Fugue-like imitation, sequences and counterpoint, render this piece a
good example of the chamber music of that period. In this paper, the Modérément,
Courante and Gigue movements will be analysed.

Modérément:
In the key of E minor, and written in 4/4 meter, this movement starts with a fugue-
like exposition. Flute 1 enters, followed by Flute 2 one bar later, repeating exactly what
Flute 1 played. Flute 3 enters, as expected, in bar 3, again playing an exact repetition of the
theme. At this point, it is worth noting that the theme, and the movement in general, is
based on very simple harmonies and harmonic function, such as I,IV,V, with the exception of
some secondary degrees and secondary dominants, which are mostly used as turning points
for the multiple modulations during the piece.
Regarding the form of the movement, something really common for the Baroque
period happens. The movement is divided into two parts, each repeated once. The first part
contains the bars 1 to 11, while bars 12 to 30 belong to the second part.
The first part contains the theme (bars 1 to 4), followed by a five-bar passage in G
major (relative key of E minor) where Flutes 2 and 3 have counterpoint, and Flute 1 has a
more secondary role, playing repeated eight-notes, or completing harmonies. The part ends
with an incomplete cadence in E minor, ending on V, which a way for the composer to
express a question or simply show that the movement is not over yet.
The second part starts with the original theme, this time played in G major, and
again repeated by Flutes 2 and 3. Then, in bars 15 to 17, we have a kind of dialogue
between Flute 1 on one side, and Flutes 2 and 3 on the other side. Meanwhile, the key
changes back to E minor just for two bars, before going back to B minor. The next phrase
(bars 20 to 23) starts on the same principle of imitation by Flutes 2 and 3. This time,
although we have a dialogue between the voices, Flute 1’s melody is actually a
Development Structure of 1+1+2 bars, with motive (bar 20, 3 rd beat - bar 21, 2nd beat), then
a repetition of the motive as a sequence (one second lower), and finally a Development
Section concluding in bar 23 with a perfect cadence in E minor.
 Afterwards, in bar 25 (3rd beat), a closing section starts, where repetitive motives in
all the voices, and a repeated I-V-I chord progression lead us to the final perfect cadence in
E minor, marking the end of the first movement.

Courante:
The second movement is named after Courante, a family of slow triple-metre dances
of the Late Renaissance and the Baroque era. The main key is again E minor, the time
signature is 3/4, and the form is similar to the previous movement. The first part ends in bar
10, and then a longer second part occupies the rest of the movement.
The Courante starts with an upbeat by Flutes 1 and 3, with Flute 1 playing the main
theme, and Flute 3 playing a very simple melodic line (something which continues for the
rest of the movement). This theme is repeated one bar later by Flute 2, followed by bars 5
to 10, where Flutes 1 and 2 play a parallel thirds melody, ending with a perfect cadence in B
minor (bars 8 to 10).
Just like the first movement, the second part starts with the main theme, this time
played in G major (bars 11 to 13), leading to a short dialogue between Flutes 1 and 2,
harmonised as V-I cadences in the keys of D major, E minor. After this dialogue, and using a
common chord [VI=IV], the key changes to G major, and the “transitional” section of the
movement takes place, with all voices having less dense rhythm in their melodies (mostly
quarter notes), creating more clear chords, and less melody. The harmonic material in this
“transition”, which ends in bar 29, consists of the I, II 6 and V degrees in both G major and E
minor keys.
In bar 30, the parallel thirds melody that appeared in the first part re-appears,
ending in bar 35 with a perfect cadence in E minor, only to be repeated exactly, as a
confirmation of the end of the movement, again with the perfect cadence of I-II 6 –V-I.

Gigue:
The last movement of the Trio is a Gigue, which has its roots in the British folk dance
Jig. Its time signature is 6/8, and its tempo is quite fast. The main key is again E minor.
Just like the previous two movements, it is divided into two parts (bars 1 to 19, and
20 to 62), each repeated once. The first part can be considered as a foretaste or a prologue
to the second part, due to its minimised length and form.
Also, the beginning of the movement is based on the same principle as the previous
movements, with Flutes 2 and 3 imitating the two-bar main theme that Flute 1 plays.
Something which comes as a surprise, nevertheless, is the fact that now only Flute 2 plays
an exact imitation of the theme (bar 3), while Flute 3 plays it a Fifth lower (bar 6). This
theme is also based on the very simple harmonies of I and V (IV and V for Flute 3’s
entrance).
 After the exposition, a Development Structure (2+2+4) between Flutes 1 and 2 takes
place. More specifically, the motive is a dialogue of the two flutes (bar 8 with upbeat, bar 9),
where the key also changes to G major. Then the repetition is a sequence, played one Third
higher than the motive (bars 10,11), followed by the Development Section, which concludes
in a perfect cadence in G major, built on the degrees I-IV-TD-V-I (bars 14-16). Finally, the
part comes to an end with another Development Structure (1+1+2), this time only in the
Flute 1’s melody. Bar 16 is the motive, followed by a variation of it (bar 17), leading to a
Development Structure of two bars, based on a perfect cadence in G major (I-IV-I 64 - V- I),
marking the end of the first part.
As one of the very few surprises of the piece, the second part starts in A minor
(instead of G major like the previous movements). Not only does it start in A minor, but it
also doesn’t start on the main theme. Instead, it starts on the harmonic relation V-I. Flutes 1
and 2 play a slightly similar melody (bars 20 to 23), and Flute 3 has again a supporting role,
playing the bass notes of the degrees I and V. Going on, in bars 24 to 27, the composer uses
imitation (Flute 2) to create some sort of an echo effect between Flutes 1 and 2. After a
perfect cadence in A minor, the key changes to G major, and a new sequence is played by
Flute 1 (bars 29 to 35). The two-bar motive of bars 29 (2nd beat) to 31 (2nd beat) is repeated
twice, each time a Second higher. Meanwhile, Flute 2 is participating in the primary melody,
and Flute keeps on playing a supporting role. In bar 34, using a common chord [II=IV], the
key changes back to E minor, and the “transitional” part of this movement begins.
Flute 1 is playing a melody based on step-wise motion in bars 35 (2 nd beat) to 40. The
other two flutes imitate a part of this melody (Flute 2 in bars 36, 37 and Flute 3 in bars 37,
38), but then go back to a more supporting role. After a cadence in D major, the key changes
to B minor, a key that will be used for the rest of this middle section (bars 42 to 48).
Specifically, we have a Development Structure of 1+1+2 bars. Bar 43 is the motive, bar 44 is
the repetition of the motive as a sequence, and finally, bars 45, 46 with the first beat of 47 is
the Development Section (perfect cadence in B minor).
We are now getting close to the end of the composition, with bar 48 (with upbeat)
marking the beginning of the “Recap”. It consists of the movement’s main theme in E minor,
played exactly like the beginning of the movement. In bar 54, where the theme would end
originally, a phrase similar to bars 24 to 27 is played, as if we hear a summary of what has
been played before. Throughout all this passage, the same simple harmonies I, IV and V
accompany the melody. Finally, in bars 59 and 60, the closing phrase is played (based on a
perfect cadence in E minor), and it is repeated in bars 61 and 62, confirming that the
movement, and the composition in general, have come to an end.
Sources:

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Bodin_de_Boismortier
 http://imslp.org/wiki/
6_Sonatas_for_3_Flutes,_Op.7_(Boismortier,_Joseph_Bodin_de)
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courante
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigue