This recording represents a unique attempt in the modern discography of lute music to seek out the beauty of the contrepartie, or “counterpart”, French lute tradition. The great French lutenists were above all formidable soloists, but often the solo music they wrote was accompanied in manuscript sources by a complementary part (the “counterpart”) written for a second lute that would add harmony and resonance, and sometimes even extend thematic material, of the solo piece. While the solo piece could always stand alone, the addition of a second lute gives a result that is something rather more than the sum of its parts: sumptuous texture, synergistic sound, and greater compositional robustness, all of which is rare to hear in the modern concert hall. Most of the contreparties on the current recording have survived in a host of period sources, and this is a rare opproutunity to hear them performed on a recording. Nearly four centuries of dust have been blown off them by musicologists Tim Crawford and François-Pierre Goy, who have identified, attributed, sometimes edited, and presented these works to the artists for the purposes of the current project. In two cases, plausible reconstructions of contreparties had to be made: the magnificent chaconnes by vieux Gautier and Mouton do not have surviving period contreparties, and so the gifted composer Tyler Kaiser was commissioned to supply them. Composing counterparties based on the original composition was a common practice during the baroque era, and it is clear from Mr Kaiser’s tasteful accompani- ments that this works in our times as well. **** Who are the great luthistes of the Grand siècle that are highlighted on this recording? Although the Burwell tutor - one of the most important period sources for the French lute - discusses how ‘many musical lights have risen in France’, it makes clear how the most famous amongst these was undoubtedly Ennemond Gaultier, known as the ‘vieux’ Gaultier (c.1575-1651), whom Burwell considers to be ‘the sun among the stars’. He was the founder of the Gaultier dynasty, which included several renowned lutenists such as the ‘English’ Jacques Gaultier (late 16C-before 1660), whogained fame at the court of Charles I, and Denis Gaultier (c.1597-1672), known as Gaultier of Paris, who was best known for the collection of his music La Rhétorique des Dieux and whose music features on the current recording. ‘Gaultier of Paris’, Burwell says, was ‘excellent for his composition, and his play was extremely polished, and his touching very delicate.’ Titon du Tillet remarks how Ennemond and Denis Gaultier were influential as teachers, and ‘had had very good students, such as Gallot, Dufaut, Dubut, Mouton, and others’: in other words, between them they had instructed most of the great lutenists of the French classical era. According to the Burwell author, the ‘old Gaultier’ was so prized a musician that he ‘was sent into England by his good mistress, the said queen [of France, Marie de Médicis], to testify to the king and queen [of England] the joy that she took for the birth of the Prince of Wales, Charles the Second, now King of England. ‘He played of the lute before the king and queen’ and Gaultier was so well received that: "Their majesties made him presents both worthy of kings and of the king of the lute, and the late duke of Buckingham (before whom he played also) in embracing him made slide in his pocket five hundred pounds of gold, to stop him – as Atalanta did her sweetheart with the golden apples – some few days longer in the court of England with this precious burden." Moreover, Gaultier was considered to be the founder of the French lute style. As ‘the king of the lute’, the Burwell author says, ‘Old Gaultier’ was ‘by his excellency ... in the prerogative and right to establish a law to all the lute-masters and to censure their several ways of composing and of playing on the lute’. Indeed, the great lutenist Jacques Gallot (?-c.1699) openly discussed the influence Gaultier had on his own compositional style, and the ‘principles’ of lute composition that Gaultier had given him. This testimony shows how the style of playing and composing based on Ennemond Gautier was followed by all French lutenists. Gallot writes: "j’ay lieu de me loüer d’elle [l’envie] quant elle m’accuse de piller le vieux Gautier, rien ne peut faire plus d’honneur à mon ouvrage. Je m’estime heureux qu’on reconnaisse les principes qu’il m’a donné a ce que je fais, ceux qui s’en sont esloignés sont tombez dans un méchant goust, tant pour la composition que l’exécution, cela se conoist dans les partitions des pièces. I have grounds to praise myself of it [envy] when it accuses me of pillaging the vieux Gaultier, [for] nothing could give more honour to my work. I consider myself happy when people recognise the principles that he gave me and that I follow: those that are too far from them fall into bad taste, as much for composition as for execution, and this is visible from their pieces." This counts as an important source attesting to the influence of the stylistic founder of the French lute tradition from one of the greatest French lutenists. Very little is known about François Dufaut (fl.1629-1669), but his pieces are widely distributed in period sources, and as Tim Crawford has shown, his music was widely dispersed throughout Europe and is particularly important for the spread of the French lute to Germany. The Burwell tutor remarks how his ‘play is very grave and learned’. The Dubuts, father and son (they shared the same first name, Pierre), were both important lute players of the Grand Siècle. Where the father (fl.1636-c.1680) was considered to be one of the finest lutenists by Burwell, the son (fl.1666-c.1700) is the one identified in Les Vies des Musiciens as the student of Gaultier. The final student of Gaultier to feature on the current recordings Charles Mouton (1617-c. 1699), a star of the Parisian salons. Respected as both a great musician and wit, he was commemorated in a dedicatory poem by Jean-François Sarasin, an initiate of Parisian high society. Although little is known about this lutenist, a portrait of him from 1690 by the royal painter François de Troy is to be found at the Louvre. There are almost one hundred pieces of his surviving in published and manuscript sources. **** Finally, a short note about the instruments used for this recording. In order to maximize the balance that is necessary for this remarkably delicate repertoire, the artists are playing an identical matching set of eleven-course French lutes that were specifically made for the recording by the gifted luthier Daniel Larson. They are based on the celebrated instrument by Hans Frei currently in the Wein Kunsthistorisches Museum, no. C34. The lutes are strung entirely with pure gut strings that were made by Gamut Music, and the nuance, warmth and depth of sound is immediately apparent to the discerning audiophile. ~ Benjamin Narvey **** Biographies Thomas Walker, Jr., began classical guitar lessons at ten years old. He was captivated by the music of Leo Kottke a couple of years later and continued studies at MacPhail School of Music in Minneapolis with Jack McNally. This led to an interest in jazz as well as a renewed interest in classical music; in college, he studied music theory and classical guitar. He studied jazz independently by extensively transcribing the solo work of Joe Pass. In college Thomas became interested in Renaissance and baroque music as well; this led by degrees to an interest in the lute some years later. He bought his first lute in 1992 and started studies with Phillip Rukavina shortly thereafter. With Phillip as mentor, he graduated from student to colleague and has since performed with Minnesota lutenists Rockford Mjos, Paul Berget, and Edward Martin as well as Phillip, in various lute ensembles. Additionally, Thomas has performed solo and with the Venere Lute Quartet, the Rose Ensemble, Ensemble Polaris, Consortium Carissimi, members of the Lyra Baroque Orchestra, and other baroque and Renaissance specialists in the Twin Cities. Thomas appeared on the performer’s roster at the biannual Lute Society of America Festival in 2008 and 2010. He has two solo CDs exploring the Seicento, Toccata released in 2006 and Stile Moderno, Stile Antico in 2010. Additionally, he has a CD of lute duets recorded with Phillip Rukavina, Due, which is a survey of Continental and English lute duets from the 16th to the early 17th century. Edward Martin (lute, vihuela da mano) has studied with lutenists Paul O’Dette, Toyohiko Satoh, and Hopkinson Smith. He holds the position of Adjunct Professor of Lute at the College of Saint Scholastica. In 1984, he performed in the First International Lute Competition in Toronto. Having extensively performed throughout the United States, Martin has made recordings for Minnesota Public Radio, and these performances have also been broadcast on the American Public Radio network. He is a member of various ensembles, a duo with tenor William Bastian, and a baroque lute duo with lutenist Paul Berget, a newly formed baroque duo with Thomas Walker, and Duo Chambure with vihuelist Phil Rukavina. In the summer of 1997 and 2001 he was invited to be the Renaissance lute instructor at the SFEMS Renaissance week at the Dominican College, San Rafael, California. He has frequently been guest lecturer, teacher, and performer at annual summer seminar of the Lute Society of America, and serves on its Board of Directors. He has also performed in Spain and the Netherlands. Martin is widely known for his recordings on the Magnatune label. **** Equipment: Audio equipment used in the production of this recording: Neumann CMV 563 tube microphones with M7S cardioid capsules Altec 1566a tube preamp Crane Song STC-8 dual compressor/limiter Summit EQP-200A Stereo Tube Equalizer Crane Song HEDD AD/DA convertor All tracks were edited with Avid Pro Tools 10 **** Interactive Book/CD Sets The music on this recording is available in print in two interactive books. The music for Lute One is accompanied by a recording of the Lute Two parts, so you can play along with the recording. Likewise, the music for Lute Two is accompanied by a recording of the Lute One parts. This two book, play-along set is available from the Gamut Music web site at: www.gamutmusic.com, or it can be ordered through your favorite book store. The ISBN is: 978-09904382-0-5 and the Library of Congress Control Number is: 2014941817. Ackowledgments On behalf of Gamut music, we would like to thank those people who helped us out behind the scenes: Tim Crawford and Francois-Pierre Goy, for suggesting and assistance in obtaining repertoire. Doug Towne, for his guidance and assistance with typesetting, and more repertoire suggestions. Benjamin Narvey, for composing program notes. Tyler Kaiser, for composing counterparties for the two chaconnes Jake Larson, for his recording and editing of the project. Pascal Boquet, for permission to record pieces published by the Societe Francaise de Luth. Catherine Liddell, for sharing the Suite in c minor Francois by Dufault. Kari Walker, Colleen Martin, and Bobbye Larson, for their support and patience with long hours of rehearsal. Bryan Hunt, for suggesting the interactive idea. Phil Rukavina, for his enthusiasm and early recording of the pieces in the early stages of production. Randall Wright, for his beautiful design work.