Life
Charles Mouton was a French lutenist and composer born in 1617 who died sometime before 1699. Musicians were active on his mother’s side of the family, one of whom served at the French royal court. By 1664 Charles Mouton was living in Paris, where he taught several affluent students, and in 1673 he performed at the Savoyard court in Turin. Back in Paris by 1680, his pupils included René Milleran and Philipp Franz Le Sage de Richée. Around this period he published two books of pieces, Pièces de luth sur différents modes, the first of which included his own notes on performance practice, and he is remembered today partly through a well-known engraved portrait showing him with his lute.
Impact
Charles Mouton, together with his contemporary Jacques Gallot, represents the last generation of major French lute composers before the instrument’s decline in popularity. His two published books preserve the mature style brisé in its most refined form, including expressive character pieces and tombeaux, and his own performance annotations offer rare direct insight into 17th-century French lute technique and ornamentation.
Repertoire
Tombeau de Gogo, c. 1679
An allemande-tombeau from Mouton’s Premier Livre mourning a figure known only by the nickname ‘Gogo’.
Charles Mouton – Prelude and Tombeau de Gogo (baroque lute) — Performed by Yair Avidor · baroque lute
Charles Mouton – Tombeau de Gogo (Allemande) – Prelude & Chaconne – Marcos Pablo Dalmacio — Performed by Marcos Pablo Dalmacio · baroque lute
La Belle Homicide (Double), c. 1680
Mouton’s ornamented ‘double’ variation on the celebrated Gaultier courante La Belle Homicide, showcasing his skill in elaborating on an existing model.
Courante “La belle homicide” (Arr. for Lute by Charles Mouton) — Performed by Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien · baroque lute
Gautier/Mouton: ‘La belle homicide’, a courante on baroque lute — Performed by Yair Avidor · baroque lute