Johann Gottfried Müthel is today best known for his keyboard compositions, though he published a mere handful of pieces during his lifetime despite the esteem in which he was held. As the last pupil of Johann Sebastian Bach and a good friend and constant correspondent of C.P.E. Bach, Müthel was – perhaps unsurprisingly – deeply representative of the Sturm and Drang compositional style and its emotional variabilities.

The Sonata in D Major for flute is now not an uncommon entry on recital programs due to its unusually rich mix of Baroque characteristics steeped with anticipation of Romantic ideas. For nearly two hundred years, however, it vanished almost entirely from the repertoire, being brought back to light in 1958 by editor Johann Philipp Hinnenthal after his discovery of an autograph manuscript, and whose basso continuo realization forms the basis for the present realization.

For this new edition, Alry Publications has returned directly to the autograph, comparing Hinnenthal’s realization (and his flute and basso engravings) to the original. Alry has subsequently corrected several errors and typographical anomalies. Also included is an optional part for basso continuo (cello, bassoon, or other bass instrument) and a cleaned, facsimile reproduction of the autograph itself.