Many composers – from Corelli, Albicastro and Alessandro Scarlatti to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and a host of others – have used the famous sarabande melody called “folia” as the basis for cycles of variations.
Hans-Peter Schmitz’s flute arrangement of the “Folies d’Espagne” by Marin Marais (1656-1728), originally conceived for gamba, thoroughly agrees with the flexible scoring and performance practice of the first half of the 18th century, and has long since secured its place in the flute repertoire.