François Dufault (or Dufaut) (before 1604 (?)ca. 1672?) was a French

lutenist A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" can re ...

and composer. Dufault was born in Bourges, France. As a student of Denis Gaultier, he enjoyed an excellent reputation as an instrumentalist, which is demonstrated in many contemporary sources where he was described as one of the greatest lutenists of his time. Almost no information is preserved about his life. He died, probably during the end of the 1660s or early 1670s, in England. From his works has survived a collection of twelve lute compositions in

tablature Tablature (or tabulature, or tab for short) is a form of musical notation indicating instrument fingering rather than musical pitches. Tablature is common for fretted stringed instruments such as the guitar, lute or vihuela, as well as many fr ...

besides a few individual works in manuscript or other compilations. His works are written with a lot of harmonic freedom and nearly in an improvisatory style.

Life

* François Dufaut composed music for the lute. His rhythmic sensitivity is remarkable. He left: * twelve pieces of tablature in the collection entitled ''Tablature de luth de différents autheurs sur des accords nouveaux'''','' published by P. Ballard in 1631, * a certain number of other pieces which remained in manuscript, scattered in the libraries of

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Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, Paris,

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Besançon Besançon (, , , ; archaic german: Bisanz; la, Vesontio) is the prefecture of the department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzer ...

, borrowing the form of dances with subtitles, which made the fortune of French

harpsichordist A harpsichordist is a person who plays the harpsichord. Harpsichordists may play as soloists, as accompanists, as chamber musicians, or as members of an orchestra, or some combination of these roles. Solo harpsichordists may play unaccompanied son ...

s, * but also "

tombeau A tombeau (plural tombeaux) is a musical composition (earlier, in the early 16th century, a poem) commemorating the death of a notable individual. The term derives from the French word for "tomb" or "tombstone". The vast majority of tombeaux date ...

x" in the Baroque music, dedicated to the memory of a fellow musician, a poet or a simple friend. He seems to have traveled a lot, especially in England. He trained as a lutenist with Denis Gaultier, of whom he was a pupil around 1630, and whose manner is reflected many times in his own artistic expression. Like most of the great composers of his time, Dufaut showed a certain inclination for harmony, without departing from the discretion and refinement that characterized his art.

Works

Here are some of Dufaut's lute works, out of about 165 pieces: * Suite en sol mineur : ** Prélude ** Allemande ** Sarabande & Double ** Courante suedoise ** Gigue ** Tombeau de Monsieur Blancrocher * Suite en ut mineur : ** Prélude ** Allemande ** Courent ** Sarabande ** Guigue * Suite en la mineur : ** Prélude ** Allemande ** Gigue ** Courante ** Courante ** Sarabande * Suite en ut majeur : ** Allemande ** Sarabande ** Gavotte ** Sauterelle * Pavane en mi mineur

Sources

* Article "François Dufaut" in Silvo Riolfo Marengo, ''Encyclopédie de la musique'', Paris, LGF, coll. La Pochothèque, 2000 * Article "François Dufaut" in Marc Vignal, ''Dictionnaire de la musique'', volume 1, Paris, Larousse, 1999 *Notice du disque ''François Dufaut, Jacques Gallot Pièces pour luth'' (interprète Pascal Montheilhet) written by François-Pierre Goy.

Discography

* En 1976, Hopkinson Smith a enregistré un disque entier sous le label Astrée/Auvidis, (réf. As 15), réédité en CD en 1989 (réf. E 7735) * Dufaut: 5 suites for lute by Louis Pernot at Accord (Musidisc) (Ref: 200262 MU 750) recorded in 1988 * ''François Dufaut, Jacques Gallot Pièces pour luth'' Pascal Montheilhet, disque Virgin * In 2006, André Henrich dedicated an entire record to the composer, disque Aeolus. * ''Les Accords Nouveaux II'', record by Sigrun Richter devoted to suites by René Mézangeau, Nicolas Bouvier, Mr Dubuisson (Étienne Houselot), Nicolas Chevalier and François Dufaut.

References

External links

T. Crawford: The historical importance of François Dufault and his influence on musicians outside France
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dufault, Francois 17th-century deaths French Baroque composers French male classical composers French lutenists Musicians from Bourges Year of birth unknown 17th-century classical composers 17th-century male musicians