Abstract
This article explores interpretive approaches to tone production and musical expressivity in Philippe Gaubert’s Sonatine quasi fantasia. This work embodies the aesthetic ideals of the French flute school through its refined lyricism, tonal nuance, and flexible formal character. Composed by a flutist–composer deeply associated with the Paris Conservatoire tradition, the piece demands a continuous integration of sound control and expressive imagination, requiring the performer to balance technical precision with spontaneity and freedom of expression.Through analytical and performance-based observations, the study examines issues central to interpretation, including breath-shaped phrasing, tonal continuity across registers, vibrato flexibility, articulation in French style, and the controlled rubato suggested by the quasi-fantasia character. Selected passages are discussed as examples of how harmonic movement, melodic contour, and texture influence decisions related to tone color, pacing, and expressive timing. Particular attention is given to the relationship between timbre and musical structure, as well as to the performer’s role in shaping long melodic lines within Gaubert’s fluid and improvisatory writing style.By situating Sonatine quasi fantasia within the broader aesthetic tradition of the French flute school, this article proposes a performance-oriented framework for approaching the work, emphasizing stylistic sensitivity, tonal refinement, and interpretive flexibility as essential elements of an effective performance.