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Period: Feb 6, 1450 to Feb 6, 1500
Lute - Melodic to Polyphonic
In the second half of the Fifteenth century, the lute transformed in usage. Before this time, the lute was considered a melodic instrument. Lute music before 1450 was written for two or more lutes to create a polyphonic sound. However, over the next half of the 1400s, more lute music was written in a way that one lute would play multiple pitches together (polyphony). This laid the base for Nicolas Vallet to write the polyphonic lute music, with melodic moving lines, that he did for the lute. -
Jul 25, 1554
Philip II of Spain is Crowned King
Philip II of Spain was crowned king of Spain on July 25, 1554 following the voluntary abdication of his father, Charles V. He was a devout Catholic and helped finance the Catholic League of France in the French Wars of Religion. He was not the only leader to support the Catholics; the Jesuits and Pope Sixtus V also supported the league. Through financing, Philip II helped to elongate the duration of the Wars of Religion and the persecution of the Huguenots in France. -
Period: Feb 8, 1562 to
The French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion was a period of fighting between the French Catholics and Huguenots. The Massacre of Vassy in 1562 was the first fight of this series. The end of this series of wars was either the Edict of Nantes in 1598 or the Peace of Alais in 1629. The Edict of Nantes was issued by Henri VI to increase unity in France. No matter when the end of the Wars of Religion period was, these wars laid the groundwork of the fighting between religions in France while Vallet was an adult. -
Birth of Nicolas Vallet
Nicolas Vallet was born in France in 1583 (no month or day). He was born at Corbeny, Aisne, in the Picardy region of northern France. His parents are unknown. No other family members are known, either. He would grow up to be a Huguenot, a Protestant in Catholic France, but most likely moved before his religious views affected him. -
Move to the Netherlands
Nicolas moved from France to the Netherlands (specifically Amsterdam) before the year 1600. He was in his youth during the move. Vallet moved with his family, possibly due to the famine, war, and pestilence (a fatal epidemic disease) that fell on their village of Corbeny. He founded a dance school in Amsterdam later in life. He taught the latest French dances to the locals in his school, including the bourrée, galliard, and ballet, among others. He also taught the lute while living in Amsterdam. -
Maximilien de Béthune Resigns
Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully was a powerful Huguenot. He was the right-hand man of King Henri VI who helped Henri rule France. Maximilien originally fought for King Henri VI in the 1590s, but due to his service, he was appointed Henri's superintendent of finances in 1601. When Henri VI was assassinated, Maximilien was forced to resign, effective immediately, along with the rest of Henri's court staff. This sent a very clear message: the period of Huguenot tolerance was over. -
Louis XIII Comes to Power
Louis XIII came to power in France on May 14, 1610, which was the day his father, King Henri VI, was assassinated. He renewed the religious wars in France. This undid everything his father did to stop the wars between the Huguenots and the Catholics. Because Louis XIII was a Catholic, he persecuted and fought in the wars in France against the Huguenots. This meant Nicolas Vallet would never have been able to return to France even if he wanted to do so. -
Le Secret des Muses
Le Secret des Muses was Nicolas Vallet's primary and most famous work. It contains music and teaching for the 10- string Renaissance lute. The first book appeared in 1615 (no day or month). The rest of the collection was published in 1616 (also no day or month). It was one of the last works for the Renaissance lute before it was replaced by the Baroque lute. It includes some performance practice pieces, like fingering, ornamentation, and tone production exercises for the lute. -
Psalms of David
Vallet wrote a Palms of David in 1615 (no month or day). It is also called Pseaumes de David in French. It is Vallet's interpretation for music to accompany the French translated version of the Psalms of David for Calvinism. This piece has 21 movements or sections and was written for voice and lute. It is in the Baroque style of music. This was not his main work. -
Regia Pietas
Nicolas wrote Regia Pietas in 1622 (no month or day). Regia Pietas is also known as Piete Royalle. Its title refers to regal (or royal) piety. It may have been written to show that the pope (although not royal, but with the status of royalty), along with other rulers were very religious (though some were not), which helps to explain its religious musical contents. This was not his primary work. -
Death of Nicolas Vallet
Nicolas died in 1642 (no day or month). He died in his late 50s or early 60s. He is not known to have any children or successors. He remains largely unknown to the world's musicians through the Twenty-first century. Even guitar players who play transcribed lute music do not know of him. Nevertheless, he gained recognition throughout the United States when Paul O'Dette recorded Vallet's Le Secret des Muses on the lute.
