The Inner Light

Georg Philipp Telemann's 12 Fantasias for Solo Flute were published in Hamburg in 1732–33. This is one of Telemann's collections of music for unaccompanied instruments, the others being thirty-six fantasias for solo harpsichord published in Hamburg in 1732–33, twelve for solo violin published in 1735, and a set of twelve fantasias for solo viola da gamba, published in the same year, but that is currently lost.

This work comprises the following:

Fantasia in A major (Vivace—Allegro)
Fantasia in A minor (Grave—Vivace—Adagio—Allegro)
Fantasia in B minor (Largo—Vivace—Largo—Vivace—Allegro)
Fantasia in B-flat major (Andante—Allegro—Presto)
Fantasia in C major (Presto—Largo—Presto—Dolce—Allegro—Allegro)
Fantasia in D minor (Dolce—Allegro—Spirituoso)
Fantasia in D major (Alla francese—Presto)
Fantasia in E minor (Largo—Spirituoso—Allegro)
Fantasia in E major (Affettuoso—Allegro—Grave—Vivace)
Fantasia in F-sharp minor (A Tempo giusto—Presto—Moderato)
Fantasia in G major (Allegro—Adagio—Vivace—Allegro)
Fantasia in G minor (Grave—Allegro—Allegro—Dolce—Allegro—Presto)

The collection is arranged by key, progressing more or less stepwise from A major to G minor. Telemann deliberately avoided keys that are impractical on the one-key flute, i.e. B major, C minor, F minor and F-sharp major. There are two ways to view the overall structure of the collection: one way, in which the work is divided into two parts, is suggested by the fact that Fantasia 7 begins with a French overture, indicating a start of a new section. This device was also later used by Johann Sebastian Bach in Variation 16 of his Goldberg Variations. Another was proposed by scholar Wolfgang Hirschmann—there are four modal groups of three fantasias: major-minor-minor, major-major-minor, major-minor-major, and minor-major-minor.
Telemann's solo flute fantasias are alone in the entire Baroque repertoire to include movements seemingly impossible on flute: fugues (fantasias 2, 6, and 8–11), a French overture (fantasia 7) and a passacaglia (fantasia 5).