The French composer François Devienne combined the performing careers of flautist and bassoonist, playing at the Paris Opéra, as a chamber musician to Cardinal de Rohan, and in the orchestra of the Loge Olympique. He became a member of the National Guard and served at the Free School of Music that later became the Paris Conservatoire.

Orchestral and Instrumental Music

Devienne’s importance lies in his compositions for wind instruments. These include a dozen or more flute concertos, four bassoon concertos and two horn concertos, together with a large quantity of chamber music, including 21 flute quartets and a variety of other music making use of wind instruments. His Nouvelle méthode théorique et pratique pour la flûte, a method for the one-key flute, enjoyed lasting popularity.