(b. Oberscheden, near Gottingen, Jan. 30, 1697 1 ; d. Potsdam, July 12, 1773), celebrated flute-player and composer. His father, a blacksmith, urged him on his death-bed (1707) to follow tho same calling, but, in his own words, ' Providence, who disposes all for the best, soon pointed out a different path for my future.' From the age of 8 he had been in the habit of playing the double-bass with his elder brother a t village fetes, and judging from this th a t ho had a talent for music, his uncle Jus tus Quantz, Stadtmusikus of Merseburg, offered to bring him up as a musician. He went to Merseburg in Aug. 1708,2 but his uncle did not long survive his father, and Quantz passed under the care of the new Stadtmusikus, Fleisehhack, who had married his predecessor's daughter. For the next five and a half years he studied various instruments, Kiesewetter being his master for the pianoforte. In Dec. 1713 he was released from his apprenticeship, and soon after became assistant, first to Knoll, Stadtmusikus of Radeberg, and then to Schalle of Pirna near Dresden. Here he studied Vivaldi's violin-concertos, and made the acquaintance of Heine, a musician in Dresden, with whom he went to five in Mar. 1716. He now had opportunities of hearing great artists, such as Pisendel, Veracini, Sylvius Weiss, Richter and Buffardin, the flute-player. In 1717 he went, during his three months' leave, to Vienna, and studied counterpoint with Zelenka, a pupil of Fux. In 1718 he entered the chapel of the King of Poland, which consisted of twelve players, and was stationed alternately in Warsaw and Dresden. His salary was 150 thalers, with free quarters in Warsaw, but finding no opportunity of distinguishing himself either on the oboe, the instrument for which he was engaged, or the violin, he took up the flute, studying it with Buffardin. In 1723 ho went with Weiss to Prague, and the two played in Fux's opera ' Costanza e fortezza,' performed in honour of the coronation of Charles VI. Here also he heard Tartini. In 1724 Quantz accompanied Count Lagnasco to Italy, arriving in Romo on July 11, and going a t once for lessons in counterpoint to Gasparini, whom he describes as a ' good-natured and honourable man.' In 1725 he went on to Naples, and there made the acquaintance of Scarlatti, Hasse, Mancini, Leo, Feo and other musicians of a similar stamp. In May 1726 we find him in Reggio and Parma, whence he travelled by Milan, Turin, Geneva and Lyons to Paris, 1 According to his autobiography in Marpurg's Beiir&ge zur A ufnahme der Musik. i No t 1707, as Mendel states. VOL. IV arriving on Aug. 15. In Paris-where his name was remembered 3 as ' Quouance '-he remained seven months, and occupied himself with contriving improvements in the flute, the most important being the addition of a second key, as described by himself in his Versuch einer Anweisung die Flote . . . zu spielen, vol. iii. chap. 58 (Berlin, 1752). He was at length recalled to Dresden, b u t first visited London for three months. He arrived there on Mar. 20, 1727, when Handel was a t the very summit of his operatic career, with Faustina, Cuzzoni, Castrucci, Senesino, Attilio and Tosi in his train. He returned to Dresden on July 23, 1727, and in the following March re-entered the chapel, and again devoted himself to the flute. During a visit to Berlin in 1728 the Crown Prince, afterwards Frederick the Great, was so charmed with his playing th a t he determined to learn the flute, and in future Quantz went twice a year to give him instruction. In 1741 his pupil, having succeeded to the throne, made him liberal offers if he would settle in Berlin, which he did, remaining till his death. He was Kammermusicus and courtcomposer, with a salary of 2 0 0 0 thalers, an additional payment for each composition, and 100 ducats for each flute which he supplied. His chief duties were to conduct the private concerts a t the Palace, in which the king played the flute, and to compose pieces for his royal pupil. He left in MS. 300 4 concertos for one and two flutes-of which 277 are preserved in the Neue Palais a t Potsdam-and 200 other pieces ; flute solos, and dozens of trios and quatuors, of which 51 are to be found a t Dresden. His printed works are three-' Sei Sonate ' dedicated to Augustus I I I . of Poland, op. 1, Dresden, 1734; ' Sei duetti,' op. 2, Berlin, 1759 ; six sonatas for two flutes, op. 3, of doubtful authenticity, London, Walsh ; five sonatas for flutes, also op. 3, Paris, Boivin; a Method6 for the flute-Versuch einer Anweisung die Flote traversibe zu spielen- dedicated to Frederick ' Konige in Preussen,' Berlin, 1752, 4to, with twenty-four copperplates. This passed through three (or four) German editions, and was also published in French and Dutch. He left also a serenata, a few songs, music to twenty-two of Gellert's hymns, ' Neue Kirchenmelodien,' etc. (Berlin, 1760), and an autobiography (in Marpurg's Beitrage). Three of the Melodien are given by von Wintorfeld, Evang. Kircheng. iii. 272. Besides the key which he added to the flute, he invented the sliding top for tuning the instrument. His playing, which was unusually correct for the imperfect instruments of the day, delighted not only Frederick, but 8 In Boivln's Catalogue. < B u t see Q.-L. p. 99, on this number. 5 A new edition of the Versuch, by A. Schering, appeared s Leipzig in 1900. The work la much more th a n a Method for th* flute, almost wh a t we should now call a handbook of * musical appreciation.' The pages devoted to th e flute only number about a n e ighth of th e whole work. X Marpurg, a more fastidious critic. He married, not happily, in 1737 ; and died in easy circumstances and generally respected. All details regarding him may be found in Leben und Werken, etc., by his grandson Albert Quantz (Berlin, 1877). F. G.