Nicolas Vallet

Who is Nicolas Vallet?

Nicolas Vallet was a Dutch lutenist and composer of French birth.

Vallet, a Huguenot, was born at Corbeny, Aisne, but fled from France to the Netherlands for religious reasons. In Amsterdam he worked as a self-supporting musician, lute-teacher, and as the owner of a dance school.

His primary work, Le Secret des Muses, contains compositions and instruction for the 10-string Renaissance lute. It appeared, in two parts, in 1615 and 1616. It was among the last compositions to appear for this instrument, before it was supplanted by the Baroque lute.

He also wrote a Psalms of David and Regia Pietas.

According to Frederick Neumann, Vallet may have been among the first to introduce ornaments into lute tablature.