Charles Mouton was born in Paris in 1617 and he died around 1699. He is one of the main lute composers of the Baroque. He had a lot of recognition at the time, but it seems he never worked at the French royal court. He had a central role in Parisian cultural gatherings and salons around the mid 1600s. His was in touch with art, and refined things, rather than with political power, and his lifestyle definitely influenced his music. Mouton works seems to be examining the precariousness of the human mind, that is, its variability.

Mouton organizes his music in large groups of pieces that have the same key. Musicians can create suites by choosing the pieces from these groups according to their own music personality.

I recorded four suites, one is in F-sharp minor, one in G-minor, one in A-minor and one in A-major. I chose mostly minor keys because they make up the majority of Mouton’s music.

Mouton composed in an 'elegantly twisted' way. His music often has modulations that don’t follow a predictable pattern - it’s as if they wander graciously. However, the end of the phrases or sections is logical and spontaneous. The melodies are often started, then stopped, and sometimes a different voice will resume them. We could say Mouton carried on the style brisé composing technique, which his predecessors already used, but he also focuses make his music more cantabile.

One of the few facts we know about his life is that he worked at the court of Savoia, Italy, for a short period of time. He was responsible of the plucked instruments section. The style brisé, that is, the broken style, is originally not very cantabile, but Mouton tried to join the two aspects in his music, and that’s probably also due to the fact he lived in Italy for a while.

The suites I created are meant to take the listener on a journey through many changeable emotions, expressed in a very refined, delicate manner.

Francesca Torelli
D minor lute by Stephen Gottlieb

Recorded August 28-30 2019
borgo Le Viole, San Valentino (Reggio Emilia, Italy)
Sound engineer Stefano Albarello

Cover artwork Giorgio Aldini

English translation Arianna Aldini

1. La Promenade - Prelude
2. Le dialogue des graces sur Iris - Allemande
3. Le raccomodemente - Courante
4. Le mouton - Canarie
5. La changeante - Courante
6. La bizare - Gaillarde
7. La malassis - Sarabande
8. La gambade - Menuet
9. Prelude
10. La richelieu - Sarabande
11. Canarie
12. Le charmant retour - Sarabande en rondeau
13. Prelude
14. L'impromptu - Allemande
15. La cavaliere - Courante
16. La princesse- Sarabande
17. Chaconne
18. Le reveur - Prelude
19. La belle Angelique - Courante
20. Les amants brouilles - Pavane
21. Le doux Hymen - Passacaille
22. L'amant content - Canarie
23. La doucereuse - Sarabande
24. L'heureux Hymen - Passacaille

Listen to: the entire album.

Release date: 09/11/2020
Francesca Torelli lives in Reggio Emilia Italy

Tagged as: Classical, Baroque, Instrumental Classical, Composer: Charles Mouton, Lute

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