Despite being the two last important representatives of a school of lute playing dominated by Ennemond and Denis Gaultier (cf RAM0904), neither Jacques de Gallot nor Charles Mouton can be accused of having simply “kept the flame alive”. Though both publicly acknowledged their debt to the Gaultiers, their own music displays originality and cannot be considered a shallow imitation, despite adhering to principles laid down by this revered dynasty. Of the two, Mouton’s music is nearest in style to that of the Gaultiers and nowhere is this more evident than in the doubles composed to some of their courantes.

These fit so well that it is hard to believe that they are the work of a different hand. Jacques de Gallot’s music in contrast represents a distinct departure from the earlier style. The perfection of his music is illustrated by his pupil Johann Armand von Uffenbach: “no harmony of any sort of music, be it as perfect as it may, can compare to that of this soloist”.