From the French "Sans Souci", literally "without worries", the palace of Sanssouci was built by Frederick II known as the Great as his summer residence in Potsdam between 1745 and 1747. A great lover of music in general and of the flute in particular , at the court of the new palace the king loved to perform as a flautist in the evening concerts organized for his guests. A very lively musical environment was born around the court, frequented by some of the most important musicians and composers of the 18th century. 
Johann Joachim Quantz, German composer and flautist active in the 18th century, flautist with excellent skills and interpretative abilities, also appreciated by Alessandro Scarlatti, met during a trip to Naples, traveled extensively in Europe and met the most important composers, performers and singers of the his time. He published his first flute sonatas in 1734, but his contribution to the instrument was not only compositional, but also technical: it was he who added the key and invented the stretching pump for the upper piece which allows the intonation to be maintained with the orchestra when the flute warms up and tends to grow in sounds. He also wrote an educational essay on the study of the instrument. At the court of the King of Prussia he composed more than 500 pieces for flute including concertos and pieces for solo instrument. We will listen to the Sonata in D major tonight.
Johann Philipp Kirnberger, German violinist, harpsichordist and composer who lived between 1721 and 1783, was violist of the court orchestra in Potsdam, from 1758 he was musician and composer of Princess Anna Amalia, sister of Frederick II. A great lover and admirer of Johann Sebastian Bach, he collaborated with Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, son of the great German composer, in the publication of Bach's four-voice chorales. From the Sonata in G major n. 8 we will listen to the Adagio and the Allegro.
Christoph Nichelmann, harpsichordist and composer, worked in Potsdam at the court of Frederick II for twelve years. Considered a composer belonging to the transition generation between Baroque and early classicism, he authored a treatise on the melody Die Melodie, nach ihrem Wesen sowohl, als nach ihren Eigenschaften in 1755. The treatise was well received by the public, but received harsh criticism by a theorist suspected to be Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach under the pseudonym Caspar Dünkelfeind. His first compositions date back to 1737. Tonight from the Sonata in C major we will listen to the Presto.
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, second son of Johann Sebastian, was a harpsichordist at the court of Frederick II from 1740 to 1767. For the Prussian ruler he wrote the Six Prussian Sonatas in 1742, along with other collections of keyboard pieces. His treatise on keyboard method, Versuch über die wuhre Art das Clavier zu spielen, dates back to his years at the court of Sanssouci. Carl Philipp Emanuel is considered one of the initiators of modern instrumental music and his work influenced subsequent generations of composers, including Haydn and Beethoven. 
Tonight we will listen to the Adagio for solo flute, taken from the Fantasia in A minor Wq 132 and the Allegro tanto from the Sonata in C major Wq 149.
Christoph Schaffrath, a German composer of the late Baroque, was a harpsichordist in Frederick II's orchestra and from 1741 musician to Princess Amalia, the king's sister. Composer of instrumental music, he has over a hundred works to his credit, including overtures, concerts for harpsichord, violin, oboe and flute. Tonight we will listen to the Largo and Allegro assai movements from the Duet for harpsichord and flute in G major op. 1 no. 4.