Delight in Disorder playing Nicholas Vallet: A Suite for four lutes 

Oh my, those first few notes. I wasn't ready for the overwhelming sound of four lutes, where one would already have been beautiful

Nicolas Vallet was a french lutenist born in Corbeny (Picardy), 1583. His father could have been Jean Vallet a lutenist himself known to settle in Meaux (Champagne). Nicolas Vallet was calvinist and emigrated in Amsterdam (the Netherlands) circa 1613 for unknown reason in a period when there was no quarrel between Protestants and Catholics in France. He opened there a dancing school for which he composed the first volume of "Secretum Musarum" (le Secret des Muses) in 1615 and the second volume in 1616. In 1620, he published a set a genevean psalms "Regia Pietas" dedicated to the King of England, James 1st. He lived next door with Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck in Amsterdam. He was nearly ruined by his publication costs but nonetheless he achieved to publish "Apollon soet lier" (La Lyre d'Appolon) for bass and treble in 1642 and "Mont Parnasse" for five and six instruments in 1643/44. After this date we ignore when he died and no other source ever mentioned him. This program couldn't be called "A Suite for four lutes" because it included dances and psalms. They were only a choice between the pieces of "Secretum Musarum". These pieces have been recorded on a CD in France (1996) by the french lutenists Eugène Férré, Jérôme Blum, Brian Feehan and Pascal Monteilhet. The fac simile score was published in France in "Corpus des luthistes français", édition du CNRS, Paris, 1970 transcription by André Souris. Some tabs of these pieces could be download for free on Richard Civiol's website "luthlibrairie"

Delight and perfect interplay, elegance and harmony, congratulations.

Nothing like a lute quartet, lovely!

Bravo ! une musique très agréable, très élégante, c'est un régal !

Impeccably played, with great nuance and feeling!

Beautifully done. As a classical guitarist, I very much envy the sound of the lute. If only they were not so blasted difficult to tune. The Nicolas Valet pieces performed here are quite dance oriented. Did he, I wonder, write fantasias and ricecares of a more abstract character?

Great to see and hear the family of Lutes, early music played on proper instruments, Lutes not Guitars!

Well done, guys! Much appreciated.

Fabulous!

nicely played with great spirit !

Lovely performance!!! Perfect

Excellent

Perfect

Beautiful music, especially when played in such a decent way. Are there any chances that your quartet gives a concert in Germany?

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