During the middle and late Baroque periods, fundamental changes occurred within the woodwind family. The recorder gradually disappeared, while the transverse flute gained increasing prominence. German musicians such as Quantz and the Frenchman Hotteterre decisively shaped the further development of the transverse flute. Composers like Bach, Telemann, Blavet, and Leclair intensively explored the instrument's technical and tonal possibilities. In opera orchestras of the time, the transverse flute acquired a steadily growing position, whereas recorders were mostly reserved for special timbres. Bach used only recorders in his Weimar cantatas but introduced the transverse flute in Leipzig. The use of the recorder as a pastoral symbol declined, and after 1725, hardly any new works were composed for this instrument. The compositions of Handel and Bach are considered the last significant contributions to recorder literature.
The Sonata in E minor for flute and basso continuo, BWV 1034, was probably composed during Bach's early Leipzig years. It is based on the form of the Italian "sonata da chiesa" and combines virtuosity with musical expression. The Sonata in A major, BWV 1032, remained incomplete but has been reconstructed and interpreted in various ways—for example, by Lisa Beznosiuk. The Sonata in B minor is distinguished both stylistically and technically and demands the highest virtuosity.
Bach's music for flute survives in a manuscript from around 1722/23. His four-movement dance suite demonstrates his sensitivity to delicate melodies and refined texture. The Trio Sonata in G major, BWV 1039, is one of Bach's few trio works for flute. Other significant contributions to flute literature include the Sonata in B minor, BWV 1030, and the Orchestral Suite in D minor. Bach wrote his last flute sonata, BWV 1035 in E major, in his later years.
The stylistically distinct Sonata in G minor, BWV 1020, is attributed to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. The Sonata in C major, BWV 1033, was likely composed in collaboration between Bach and one of his sons. The authorship of the Sonata in E-flat major, BWV 1031, remains uncertain.