Composing for the Flute

Abstract An excursion to the provincial town of Béthune, near Calais, with several musician colleagues to play for the local Philharmonic Society in May 1874 brought the young Vincent d’Indy (he was twenty-three) once again into contact with Taffanel. This time, instead of just hearing him play, d’Indy accompanied Taffanel on the piano. He wrote a long and lively letter about the whole experience to his half sister, Marie, amused by the Mignon fantaisie and scandalized to discover that the audience went wild after it, whereas they had received the serious items on the program by Mozart and Weber with only polite enthusiasm: “Oh audience!” The letter also provides a rare description of Taffanel at his most relaxed and playful.