The six Divertissements op. 68 for flute solo, written about 1825, were printed in the same year in the house of the publisher Christopher Daniel Milde (1788 – 1864) at Copenhagen . At the same time they were printed in a journal, which the same publisher edited in a monthly sequence. Likewise at the same time a relatively simple set piano part was published, which was meant as an accompaniment part to be played ad libitum. A parallel version bears the name of the publishing house Theune & Comp. in Amsterdam.

Further print copies came out in the following period at Farrenc (Paris), Cranz (Hamburg), Litolff (Braunschweig), Cundy-Bettoney (Boston), IMC (New York) and Peters (Frankfurt). The last one – published in 1985 – is an adaption of the Litolff print, at that time edited by Paul Taffanel. While now the Litolff print with piano accompaniment conceals that it deals only about an ad libitum accompaniment of the Peters copy , printed as a flute solo version, conceals that an accompaniment really exists. In both versions it was renounced for an explanation…

The extensive perfect first edition from Copenhagen makes a revision report almost unnecessary, so that only a few points are to be commented. Hans-Peter Schmitz had used it already in 1955 for a publication in his Flötenlehre (Bärenreiter-Verlag) and provided it with some verbal notices, at the same time he referred marginally to the existence of an ad libitum piano part. Indeed it is the case today, that in view of the abundance of explicitly piano-supported and audible set for flute-piano-duo works by Kuhlau (in total 17) a flutist will hardly have the desire to play also the solo opera 57, 68 and 95, provided with an ad libitum accompaniment with piano, while the possibilities for creative play in a solo interpretation only can win. However, in a historic-critical complete edition this part is not supposed to be missing. Due to the less importance however, it is added as an un-revised original copy (reprint), which again has the advantage to get a direct insight into a Danish first print from the year 1825, even if one do not want to use it in practice. But the opportunity to do so is therefore given.

Detmold, Juni 2003

Prof. Dr. Richard Müller-Dombois

Translation: Constanze Müller-Dombois