Timeline of Viols in France in the Sixteenth Century

1498

Cesare Borgia asked Ercole d’Este to lend him his “violas arcu pulsantes” (viols played with a bow) for a diplomatic mission to France, where such instruments, he claims, were highly regarded.¹

1514

Paris

In a copy of the l’état des officiers domestiques of François d’Angoulême, the future François I, an organist, named Nicole Cueil, and four “violeurs,” named Jean Baron, Nicole Baron, Roger Cauche and Guillaume Bonville, are mentioned.² Christelle Cazaux argues that their presence in the Chapelle, which during this period had no instrumentalists except organists, suggests that the copyist (the manuscript is not an original) was incorrect and that these four were in fact singers.³ While supporting evidence proves that these four were singers, it remains possible that they also played viols.

1520

Balinghem

The Field of the Cloth of Gold was a summit from 7 to 24 June 1520 between King Henry VIII of England and and King François I of France. François I and Catherine of Aragon, having finished their repast, came into the hall. Dancing commenced to the sound of a tabour, pipe, and viol; the first dance is performed by the Lady Mary with a French nobleman.⁴
Possibly referencing a medieval vièlle.

c. 1525

Paris

Jean de Gourmont the Elder (c. 1483– c. 1552), in his L’Adoration des bergers (c. 1525), paints the earliest known image of a viol in France. The painter, printmaker, and engraver was born in Normandy but worked in Paris and later in Lyon.

c. 1525

Valencia

After Charles V captured François I in the battle of Pavia, the French king stopped in Valencia on the way to Madrid. There after witnessing six satirical skits (literally “jokes” or “quolibetz”), before he rested. The ladies of Valencia, masked, visited his lodging, where they danced in the Castilian “leutz, violles, rebetz, tabourins et autres instrumens.”⁵

1529

Cambrai

A four-part viol consort in the household of King François I performs during the Cambrai conference of 1529. On 10 August, Marguerite of Austria was visited at her hôtel by “quatre jouheurs de vyole du roi de France.”⁶

1532

Rouen

On 6 February, the entrée of Éléonore d’Autriche and the Dauphin into Rouen was organized around the theme of “Antiquity.” The third chariot witnessed by the couple included Apollo carrying a harp and the nine muses, each carrying one or more symbols. Erato, the patron of lyric and erotic poetry or hymns, held “une violle et ung compas.”⁷

1532

Nantes/Poitiers

Gilles Kernela was engaged by le corps de ville to travel from Nantes to Poitiers to commission Jean Bouchet, who had organized the entrée into Poitiers for François I in 1519, in developing a festival plan. Bouchet produced, for the sum of 3 écus soleil à 43 sous pièce, a plan for the festival. Kernela hired “de trois tambourins, d’un rebec, d’une viole et de deux fifres” from Poitiers.⁸

1536

Bourges

A production of a mystery play entitled Actes des Apôtres in Bourges included a float that represented heaven, on which were positioned “deux autres petits ang ses, chantant hymnes et cantiques, qui s’accordoient avec des jouers de flustes, harpes, luths, rebecs et violes, qui marchoient à l’entour du Paradis.”⁹
Possibly referencing a medieval vièlle.

1543

Paris

François I created the “musique de la chambre” division of the royal household, independent from the musicians in the service of the chapelle.

1546

Marseille

Barthelemé de la Crous opened a secular school for “viols, lutes and other instruments,” which was subsidized by the city: “Sur la requeste faite audict conseil par Barthélemy de la Crous, faiseur de violes, de lutz et autres instruments, tendant afin que, attendu qu’il est venu nouvellement en la présente ville, et qu’il a bon voulloir de monstrer et enseigner les enfancs de toucher et sonner les dits instruments, et qu’il n’y a point en ceste ville d’autre escoullier que revient l’honneur d’enseigner cette science, et garde encore que les enfans, par ainsi, ne se desbauchent en aultres mauvais usages, lui être pourveu par ladite ville de quelque petite maison et lieu convenable pour monstrer les dicts enfancs et le dict suppléant fera son devoir de mieulx en mieulx.”¹⁰
and “Après lecture de la dicte requête faite audit conseil, Jéhan Blancard, premier consul suivant la commission à luy donnée et à ses compaignons de trouver lougis au faiseur de violes, auronts loué la maison de Isabeau Descalis pour six mois au prix de quinze florins. . . A plu audict conseil réfformer que la dite somme soit payée des derniers communaux par le trésorier général de la ville.”¹¹

1547

Paris

In the first year of his reign, Henri II adds two “joueurs de violes” to the the ranks of his musique de Chambre. He reassigns Jean Bellac and Pierre de Champgilbert, alias Pierre d’Auxerre, two players of the violon in l’Écurie, as players of violes in the Chambre.¹²

1548

Paris

At the time of his death Jean de Badonvilliers, the Seigneur d’Aulnay-la-Rivière, maître ordinaire de la Chambre de comptes, had in his household “trois épinettes, trois manucurions, une viole et une harpe” in addition to a personal library consisting of printed music for “15 masses, 34 chansons et des recueils de motets.”¹³10.

1548

Marseille

Viol players in Marseilles, it was noted, have dethroned minstrels, who are forced to disperse to neighboring villages: “Déjà, les ménétriers détrônés par les joueurs de viole sont forcés de se disperser dans les villages voisins pour gagner leur vie. C’est ainsi que l’usage du tambourin s’est perpétué dans la campagne provençale.”¹⁴

1548

Lyon

For Catherine de’ Medici and Henri II’s entrée, the Florentine community of Lyon contributed a performance of Cardinal Bibbiena’s Calandria, for which they summoned a famous theater troupe from Florence. During the play, a song is performed “by a single voice accompanied by five lutes, a violone da gamba & a spinet.” Later another song is sung “to the sound of two spinets, four transverse flutes, & four violoni da gamba.”¹⁵

1549

Binche

In August, Mary of Hungary arranged a festival at Binche to celebrate the visit of Charles V and his son Philip. A cortège of gods, goddesses, and nymphs were accompanied by four “vihuelas de arco.”¹⁶

1551

Paris

On 23 March an inventory after the death of Philippe de la Canessière, facteur d’instruments, lists: “Item deux grand viollons garniz de leurs estuitz, une violle et ung petit viollon garniz de leurs archetz prisez ensemble L s.t..”¹⁷

1553

Paris

On 27 November, François Bonnin or Bonvin, age 15, son of Antoine Bonnin or Bonvin, enters into an agreement to become a servant and apprentice at the shop of Denis Viger, “faiseur de guitares, luths, violes et autres instruments,” on the rue Saint-Victor. Viger agrees to provide Bonvin with food and a salary.¹⁸

1554

Paris

On 02 October, Claude Gervaise publishes the second edition of his Premier livre de violle contenant dix chansons avec l’introduction d’accorder et apliquer les doigts selon la manière qu’on a accoutumé de jouer, le tout de la composition de Claude Gervaise with the widow of Pierre Attaingnant.

1555

Lyon

Lyonnaise poet Louise Labé publishes her Œuvres in 1555. The second sonnet mentions a “plaintive lute, viol, bow, and voices.”:
O beaus yeus bruns, ô regards détournés,
O chaus soupirs, ô larmes espandues,
O noires nuits vainement atendues,
O jours luisans vainement retournez!
O tristes plaints, ô désirs obstinez,
O temps perdu, ô peines dépendues,
O milles morts en mille rets tendues,
O pires maus contre moy destinez !
O ris, ô front, cheveus bras mains et doits!
O lut pleintif, viole, archet et vois!
Tant de flambeaus pour ardre une femelle!
De toy me plein, que tant de feus portant,
En tant d’endrois d’iceus mon coeur tatant,
N’en est sur toy volé quelque estincelle.¹⁹

1555

Paris

On 06 September, Michel Dales, a musician living on rue Charretière near the Hôtel de Coqueret in the house called the Green Trellis, entered into a contract with Pierre Nepveu, pedagogue at the university, living on rue Saint-Nicolas-de-Chardonneret. For a payment of 12 pounds, Dales agrees to teach Nepveu to sing music and play the viol in his home for one hour every day beginning on 07 September for a period of four months.²⁰

1556

Lyon

On 28 April, Philibert Jambe de Fer published his L’Épitome musical des tons, sons et accordz, es voix humaines, fleustes d’Alleman, flesustes à neuf trous, violes, & violons in Lyon.

1556

Poitiers

On 13 May, Enguilbert de Marnef, the author and publisher of the Discours non plus mélancholique que divers de choses mesmement qui appartient à notre France, claims that the viol is an instrument “ainsi demeure la vielle pour les aveugles, le rebec et viole pour les ménétriers, le luc et guiterne pour les musiciens.”²¹
Possibly referencing a medieval vièlle.

1556

Paris

On 02 June, an inventory after the death of Yves Mesnager, facteur d’instruments, lists: “Item une bassecontre de violle de deux tailles non parfaictes prisez ensemble Xl. tz.”²²

1556

Paris

Accounts list a payment to Catherine de’ Medici’s Italian valets de chambre, Gerin de Mantoue, to travel to Ferrara to collect six violles.²³

1557

Paris

On 20 September, an inventory created after the death of Nicolas Robillard, joueur d’instruments, lists: “Premièrement une double basse contre de viole prisé IX L IIIs.” and “Item deux petites basses contres, la plus petite garnye de son estuy prisés ensemble Xl. Xs.”²⁴

1558

Paris

In Paris, at the marriage of the future François II to Mary Stuart on 24 April, instruments included a number of “Trompettes, Clairons, Haulxbois, Flageolz, Violes, Violons, Cistres, Guiternes & autres infinis.”²⁵

c. 1559

Paris

In an undated letter from a servant of the King Henri II to Queen Catherine de’ Medici about the death of her husband, the author claims that the king took great delight in singing the psalms to the accompaniment of “lutes, viols, spinets, and flutes.”²⁶,²⁷

1561

Berne

On 12 December, during a visit of the Duke of Longueville to Berne, music was provided by the viols of Lausanne.²⁸

1573

Paris

Three viols are depicted on a tapestry commemorating a ball held by Catherine de’ Medici at the Tuileries Palace in honor of Polish envoys visiting to present the throne of Poland to her son Henry, Duke of Anjou, the future Henry III of France.

1574

Venice

Accounts for Henri III’s expenses while visiting Venice between 17–27 July includes a gift of 40 écus to “the German Martha and her husband, who were twice sent for to sing and play the lute and viol.”²⁹

1578

Poitiers

The “viols et violons de Poitiers” provided incidental music for a tragedy, a comedy, and a farce performed by les Enfants de la ville (an umbrella association of festive societies) in the la Halle neuve. The performances were attended by “plusieurs gentilshommes, damoiselles et autres estrangers.”³⁰

1581

Paris

The Ballet comique de la reine is performed on 13 February at the direction of the dowager queen Catherine de’ Medici as part of the wedding celebrations for the Duke de Joyeuse and Marguerite de Vaudemon, Queen Louise of Lorraine’s sister. Choreographed by the Italian dancer and violinist Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx, a viol were possibly featured by a performer on the fountain, by a triton, or on the chariot of Minerva.

1584

Paris

Following the path forged by his colleagues Jean Bellac and Pierre d’Auxerre in 1547, Jean Fourcade, after serving François I as a “joueur d’instruments” in the Écurie for close to forty years (1529–1570), is transferred to serve as a “violiste de la Chambre.”³¹

1587

Paris

On 01 October, an inventory created after the death of Claude Denis, facteur d’instruments, documents an inventory that includes bows, strings, and viols: “Item une basse contre de Bresse prisé III esc. sol.”; “Item I double basse contre de viole de Cambray prisé III esc. sol.”; “Item 77 archetz prisez 1 esc. sol.”; “Item 2 vieulx dessus de violles prisez X s.”; “Item 15 paquetz de cordes de Florence prisez IIII esc. sol.”; “Item 21 paquet de cordes de Siennes III esc. XL s.”; “Item 6 paquetz de vieulx reste de corde prisez L s.”; and “Item en cordes de violles, tant grosses que menues prisé ens. XL s.”³²

c. 1587

Paris

Royal Surgeon and Poet François Rasse des Neux amassed a considerable library and cabinet of curiosities. His many stringed instruments included “sept guitars, un cistre, one viola, et six lutes” (seven guitars, one cittern, one viol, and six lutes).³³

1589

Basel

On 03 November, Samuel Mareschall publishes his Porta Musices in Basel.

c. 1589–1600

Paris

Marin Mersenne recounts an anecdote about the viol player Granier, who held an official post in the household of Marguerite of Valois, Queen of Navarre. Granier, playing the bass viol, enclosed a young page inside his instrument. The page sang the soprano part while Granier sang the tenor and played the bass line on his viol.³⁴
This incident must have occurred sometime after the assassination of Henri III in 1589, at which point Marguerite’s husband, Henri de Navarre, ascended to the throne as Henri IV. Later Granier was second master of the King’s chapel and died around 1600.

c. 1589–c. 1610

Paris

After the death of Jean-Antoine de Baïf in 1589, Jacques Mauduit continued to offer concerts in the tradition of the Académie de Poésie et de Musique, but he began to focus increasingly on instrumental music. The Huguenot poet Agrippa d’Aubigné, a self-professed member of the Académie de Poésie et de Musique, claims to have heard “un excellent consert de guitare, de douze violes, quatre espinettes, quatre luts, deux pandores & deux tuorbes.”³⁵ This undated letter was sent from d’Aubigné to Odet de la Noue. Sauval claims that Mauduit’s concerts ordinarily had between sixty to eighty people, sometimes as many as 120.³⁶

1596

Paris

On 06 May, an inventory after the death of Pierre Aubry, facteur d’instruments, lists: “Premyerement, une basse violle prisée III esc. sol.”³⁷

1598

Paris

In March, two theatrical companies—one represented by Valleran Le Conte and called comédiens du roi and another lead by Adrien Talmy and called the compagnie de comédiens français—signed a three-year contract “to perform together comedies, tragedies, tragicomedies, pastorales, and other works agreed upon in this city of Paris, as well as elsewhere in this kingdom of France.” According to the terms of the contract the troupes signed, Le Conte was to provide costumed, stage properties, and a chest of viols with which his viol quintet would perform entr’actes. On 22 March, Fiacre Boucher leased from the Confrères a loge des dépendances, a balcony from which the viol consort would perform.³⁸

1599

Paris

In March, Valleran Le Conte, leader of the comédiens du roi, contracted to teach the fifteen-year-old Nicolas Gasteau “the science of acting . . . to learn to play the spinet, the viol, and to sing music.” The contract was dissolved five weeks later.³⁹

1599

Saint-Marxient

A company run by Adrien Talmy performed “plusieurs histoires, tragédies et comédies avecq Musicque et voix, violes et regales.”⁴⁰

1606

Paris

On 03 May, Valleran Le Conte, in order to pay his actors, was forced to sell his chest of viols, his wardrobe of costumes, and eleven painted backdrops to one of his actors.⁴¹

1607

Paris

On 01 December, Valleran Le Conte founded a new company with Nicolas Gasteau, Estienne de Ruffin, Hugues Gueru (later known as “Gaultier-Garguille”), Savinian Bony, Loys Nyssier, Jullien Doielles, Gasteau de Rachel Trépeau, and an unnamed second female actress. Le Conte furnished “the costumes, viols, and backdrops suitable for the aforesaid performances of comedies, tragicomedies, pastorales, and other plays.”⁴²

1609

Paris

On 08 April, Jacques Le Messier, the father of Pierre le Messier (later known as Bellerose), contracted an apprenticeship for his son, which included viol lessons, from Valleran Le Conte, leader of the comédiens du roi. In addition to providing him lodging, food, and clothing, Le Conte promised to teach him “la science et industrie de représenter tous trage-comédyes, comédyes, pastoralles et autres jeux, ensemble à jouer de la violle.”⁴³

c. 1609–1610

Paris

Large viols are depicted in engravings commemorating the state funeral of Duke Charles III of Lorraine.

1614

Paris

On 16 September, Louis XIII returned to Paris from a trip to Brittany. For his city entrée, near the porte S. Jacques, 120–140 musicians, including voices, luths, and viols, performed an Ode composed by Jacques Mauduit.⁴⁴

1617

Paris

On 29 January, La Deliverance de Renaud, a ballet de cour, is performed for Louis XIII, who also dances as un démon du feu and Godefroy de Bouillon. A concert conducted by Jacques Mauduit employs 64 singers, 28 violists, and 14 lutenists.⁴⁵

c. 1530

Bourdeaux

François I, upon returning to France after held captive in Madrid, stops in Bourdeaux. After arriving at his lodging, sitting at the dinner table, washing his hands, and saying thanks to God, he is entertained by “Tabourins, rebetz, violles, leutz, espinettes organisées, phiffres, saquebuttes, haulxboys, psalterions et autres instruments.”⁴⁶

1598

Payment records for broken string replacements suggest Henri IV played both viol and lute.⁴⁷

1599

Rouen

As part of Henri IV’s entrée into Rouen, a viol player performed on the top of the entrance of the first bridge.⁴⁸

Paris

Balinghem

Paris

Valencia

Cambrai

Rouen

Nantes/Poitiers

Bourges

Paris

Marseille

Paris

Paris

Marseille

Lyon

Binche

Paris

Paris

Paris

Lyon

Paris

Lyon

Poitiers

Paris

Paris

Paris

Paris

Paris

Berne

Paris

Venice

Poitiers

Paris

Paris

Paris

Paris

Basel

Paris

Paris

Paris

Paris

Paris

Saint-Marxient

Paris

Paris

Paris

Paris

Paris

Paris

Bourdeaux

Rouen

A large bowed bass performs at a royal funeral in 1611

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