Nothing is known about Parcham's life, and of his compositions only this "Solo" - a common 18th century name for a sonata with basso continuo accompaniment - has survived in a collection of recorder music published in 1701/02 by Roger in Amsterdam. A set of 12 other recorder sonatas, also published by Roger in 1701, has not yet come to light. The "Solo"' consists of four movements the third of which is especially attractive, a kind of fantasy with rapidly changing tempi and moods,
Van Eyck was bom in Utrecht in about 1590 and died there in 1657. He was a blind carillon player, organist and flautist, and as part of his duties he also had to enterain Churchgoers by playing the recorder in the churchyard. In the middle of the 17th century he published "Der Fluyten Lust-Hof" which contains a great number of well known contemporary runes: psalms, folk-songs, dances, airs etc. with variations for descant (soprano) recorder. The art of improvising such variations, called diminuitions, belonged to the style of his time and he has surely practised it in the churchyard, We are lucky to have some of his diminuitions preserved in the "Lust-Hof". This book was not only intended for recreation but also as a descant (soprano) recorder method containing a complete fingering diart for this instrument.
The tune chosen for this record seems to have been especially dear to van Eych as the "Lust-Hof" contains it twice, the Gm time with one, the second time with three variations all of which are played on the record. It is the pavana "Flow my tears"’ by John Dowland, probably the most famous tune of the whole century, but surely the best known one, not only in England but also in most European countries.
Recent research has established that the works published in the 18th century under the name of Jean Baptiste Loeillet were in fact the compositions of three different members of the same family that settled in Ghent in the middle of the 17th century: Jean Baptiste "de Gant" (1688 - ca. 1720) and his cousins John of London (1680-1730) and Jacqus (1685-1748), John’s brother. J. B. "de Gant" published all in all 48 sonatas for treble (alto) recorder and basso continuo which were reprinted by different publishers at different dimes, a sign of their popularity. The present sonata is No. 5 of Opus 2. The first and third movements show J. B' s beautiful cantabile style, the second and fourth his ardour and also - especially in the fourth movement - his cnntraputral skill.
Dieupart came from France to England in about 1700 and settled for the rest of his life in London where he died in 1740. In 1705 he published 6 suites for harpsichord, two of which (togheter with their table of ornaments) were copied by J. S. Bach; it has even been suggested that Bach modelled his own English Suites on them - they have one theme in common. ln the same year Dieupart republished the suites in a version for violin or flute or recorder with basso continuo. Each suite contains a note saying which kind of recorder should be used: for numbers 1 - 4 a "flûte de voix" (recorder in D) and for numbers 5 and 6 a "flûte du quatre" (recorder in B flat). On this record No. 5 is played as it should be played on a B flat recorder. Even without the connection with Bach, Dieupart's suites deserve attention, for they are eccellent examples of French music.
Though the only extant copy of the 12 solo fantasies by Telemann (1681-1767) in the Conservatoire Royal de Musique in Brussels indicates neither composer nor instrument, there is no doubt that they are the 12 fantasies for flute enumerated by Telemann in his autobiography of 1759, The fantasies on the record are Nos. 10 and 1, played on the treble (alto\ recorder according to common 18th century usage transptosed up a minor third. Telemann was himself competent on all contemporary musical instruments, a fact that explains his extraordinary craftmanship wich, combined with his gift of ever fresh musical invention produced the richest treasure of chambermusic of the 18th century.