Despite the title, this sonata conveniently fits a treble recorder.

The model of this composition is the balletto a 5 by Gastoldi «Questa dolce sirena», first published in 1591.

The bass line of these trios seldom fits a bass recorder. They would be better played by bass instruments, such as a viol or a basson, with or without the accompaniment of a harmonic instrument. Despite these considerations, we have tried anyway to adapt the bass line to a bass recorder.

Our edition also contains the transposed version a tone up in G minor for the recorder’s sake.

Transcription of the original score plus transposed version for a treble recorder and a bass (recorder).

Besides the violin – which seems to be the first choice – and the transverse flute, these six suites may be played on two different sizes of recorders; the first four on a «flute de voix» and the last two on a «flute de quatre». The voice flute is a recorder in D – tuned a tone above the common tenor recorder, while the fourth flute is a recorder in Bb, hence tuned a tone below the common descant (soprano) recorder. The name of the latter shows that the treble (alto) recorder was always the pivot of the recorder family, since «fourth» or «quatre» underlines that a Bb recorder was tuned four notes apart from the common treble recorder. Hence, we have a fifth recorder (the common descant in C) and also a sixth one (recorder in D), the latter very popular in England at the beginning of the 18th century.
The treble recorder also dictated the fingering of all the family; in fact, all the other sizes (descant included) were played transposing the music to fit a fingering in F. This is the reason of the rubrics that Dieupart wrote at top of his suites; for instance, the first suite in A major reads: «Cette Suitte se doit jouer en C sol ut sur une flute de voix». In fact, playing a D recorder with alto fingering and reading that suite in C major a third above renders the music in A major.
For all these reasons, we provide a transposed part of the recorder, useful to read the music on a recorder in D (or in Bb when applied) as it were a treble in F; furthermore, the suites are also transposed in different key to make them convenient to more common sizes of recorders.

The bass line of these trios seldom fits a bass recorder. They would be better played by bass instruments, such as a viol or a basson, with or without the accompaniment of a harmonic instrument. Despite these considerations, we have tried anyway to adapt the bass line to a bass recorder.