The Lilien partbooks in the Sonsfeld collection: a primary source of music for Hautboisten in the 18^th century Prussia

Hautboisten are known to have been major suppliers of musical entertainment in German speaking lands in the first half of the 18th century. The term Hautboistenbande is regularly translated as oboe band however these musicians were multi Instrumentalists. The examination of music from the Lilien Partbooks in the Sonsfeld Collection shows the similarities present in the musical repertoires composed for an 'orchestra and for Hautboisten respectively. This research demonstrates that today's widely held conception of a 'standard Baroque orchestra was an exception rather than the norm at the beginning of the 18th century and further allows insight into daily musical life in Prussia.