Charles Mouton by Francois de Troy (1690)
This page is dedicated to the lute, theorbo and guitar in France, 1600-1750, the time of the Gautiers, Gallot, Mouton, Hurel, de Visée, Lully, the Couperins, etc, etc. It will be source of essays, recordings (hopefully soundfiles too), pictures, luthiers, publications, tablature, and more. Please feel free to offer suggestions and links by emailing Rob MacKillop at music@qmu.ac.uk Last update: 23 August, 2007
Theorbist to Henriette-Anne, wife of the Duc D'Orleans - possible portrait of Robert de Visée???
The Guitar Under Lully Gerard Rebours interviewed by Elizabeth Benson, in "Guitar International" magazine, June 1988
Website of Gerard Rebours, French guitar specialist.
The Stringing on the 5-course guitar by Monica Hall - well-structured research.
The Baroque Guitar - Printed Music from 1606-1707 by Gary Boye. Meticulous research by Dr Gary Boye.
Performance on Lute, Guitar, and Vihuela Edited by Victor Anand Coelho - Essay by Wallace Rave entitled 'Performance instructions for the seventeenth-century French lute repertory'
A short essay on music at Versailles, with link to discography
The rules of musical interpretation in the baroque era (17th-18th centuries), common to all instruments - by Jean Claude Veilhan
Useful booklist on French BaroqueFrench aesthetic theory - Edward Higginbottom
The following PhD Theses are available from Dissertation Express
PhD Thesis: SOME MANUSCRIPTS OF FRENCH LUTE MUSIC 1630-1700: AN INTRODUCTORY STUDY. . RAVE, WALLACE JOHN, PhD. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN , 1972. 459 pp.
PhD Thesis: A source study and thematic catalog of the Robert de Visee theorbo works . Prud'Homme, Bryan LaMont, PhD. UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER , 1992. 509 pp.
PhD Thesis: Style and development in the theorbo works of Robert de Visee: An introductory study . Dunn, Alexander, PhD. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO , 1989. 261 pp.
THE ROLE OF FRANCESCO CORBETTA (1615-1681) IN THE HISTORY OF MUSIC FOR THE BAROQUE GUITAR, INCLUDING A TRANSCRIPTION OF HIS COMPLETE WORKS. (VOLUMES I AND II) . PINNELL, RICHARD TILDEN, PhD. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES , 1976. 821 pp
Be aware that there are a few mistakes in some of these editions (ornament signs missing, the ocassional note on the wrong string), but generally they are very good. Best compare with originals, if possible.
The Baroque Guitar - a treasure-trove of baroque guitar reperpoire by Gavin Emery. Not just scores, but excellent short biographies too.
Luth-Librarie - many excellent re-engravings by Richard Civiol, inluding the complete de Visée theorbo and lute music from the Saizenay manuscript, the complete Milleran manuscript, and others.
Musick's Handmaid - site of Alain Veylit. Hundreds of free tablatures. Some require Django software, some available via pdf.
Gallot and Ennemond Gaultier from the Barbe manuscript, beautifully set by Kemer Thomson.
Charpentier - scores in parts. Good for continuo practice. Scroll down the page. PDF files.
De Visee for Renaissance tuning - by Arto Wikla
Name the band...
Amphion Consort - beautiful mp3s of Yair Avidor playing Robert de Visée and others on theorbo
Jonathan Dunford - great bass-viol player (OK, no lute, theorbo or guitar, but great French-viol playing!)
Lute and guitar amonst other instrumentalists and singers. From an engraving showing the daily occupations of Louis XIII: Le Soir - a theatrical performance in the Palais-Cardinal.
[This section to be expanded in due course]
Milleran - Many works by Mouton and others
Saizenay - Over 500 pages. Includes lute and theorbo tablatures by Robert de Visée and others
Seicento Music - European source for buying facsimiles/new editions
Minkoff Reprints - Major publisher of Early Music
Charles Hurel: The Theorbo Music, Christopher Wilke, Theorbo - very nice recording of Hurel's theorbo solo. He was principal theorbist at l'Opera in Paris.
Corbetta/de Visee - Suites for Guitars and Theorbos - Eric Belloq and Massimo Moscardo, guitars and theorbos. Be sure to click on the link 'About this recording' - very informative booklet notes. " De Visée's duos were derived from existing solo pieces but are not accompanied solos; instead he added independent second parts (contreparties), virtually capable of standing alone as solos, creating dense contrapuntal textures in which the two instruments converse on equal terms. Some of the contreparties here recorded are to be found in privately held manuscripts. "
Suites de Dances by Robert de Visee - Pascal Monteilhet, theorbo - soundfiles
Campion - A Portrait - by Eric Belloq - soundfiles. Campion wrote many suites in strange and wonderful tunings.
Robert de Visée & Théophile de Viau: La Conversation /Green · Dumestre
YouTube Video - Rolf Lislevand playing a Chaconne by de Visee on theorbo
YouTube Video - Rafael Bonavita - Chaconne by de Visee on theorbo
A Rather Strange YouTube Video - Gavotte by de Visee
An Even Stranger YouTube Video - Prelude by de Visee
And another! - Chaconne de Hotman by de Visee
Rafael Andia - de Visee guitar music. Soundfiles and online purchase
Theorbo - Lynda Sayce's excellent theorbo site
Bassus Generalis - a website " dedicated to translation and discussion of historical sources about basso continuo and ensemble performance practice"
Archive of Baroque-lute discussion list - some useful contributions, searchable. Thanks to Wayne Cripps.
Aquila strings
Notes Inégales - a Wikipedia definition. You can't play French baroque music without it.
