The aim of this master thesis is to shed light on the importance of wind instruments at the Dresden court in the first half of the 18th century. The rulers, Augustus I and Augustus II, placed great importance on the various arts, including music. Both employed the most distinguished domestic and foreign musicians, which gave the orchestra a reputation for very high quality. It was capable of performing the latest music with modern performance practices of that time. Shortly after Augustus I’s accession to the throne, the court employed wind players from France, who significantly influenced the Dresden orchestra. In my thesis, I begin by presenting the development of the wind section of the orchestra and then focus on the instruments played in Dresden. Today, several collections of royal music from that time have been preserved and digitised and now serve as a valuable resource for exploring the importance of wind instruments at court. This research has revealed the varied use of all wind instruments in solo, chamber and orchestral settings. In addition to performing parts written especially for them, the wind players also doubled the strings in the orchestra. All these aspects show that the Dresden orchestra and its many excellent musicians, as attested by the critics of the time, contributed to the further development of all wind instruments throughout history.
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