Quantz, Johann Joachim

Quantz, Johann Joachim (yō`hän yō`äkhĭm kvänts), 1697–1773, German flutist and composer for the flute. In 1741 he became chamber musician and teacher of the flute to Frederick the Great, for whom Quantz wrote more than 500 pieces, including flute sonatas and concertos. He also wrote a famous textbook for the flute, Versuch einer Anweisung die Flöte traversière zu spielen (1752), which was translated into French, English, and Dutch, and invented several improvements upon the instrument.