The lute master Nicolas Vallet (c.1583 – c.1642) was born and raised during the first three decades of his life in France, his musical career and publications developed in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Widely acknowledged as a lute and dance teacher there, he simultaneously stood out as one of the most important and fruitful composers of sacred music for his instrument, making lute settings of the Calvinist psalms from the Genevan Psalter. Vallet’s compositions cover the three instrumental genres of the Renaissance in his repertory – free abstract pieces (preludes and fantasias), dances, and settings of vocal pieces. In this he is probably one of the last lutenists of the Renaissance tradition, giving way to the new forms of instrumental sonatas and suites, based predominantly on dance movements. Yavor Genov is a lutenist and basso continuo player. His four solo CDs for Brilliant Classics – ‘Orpheus Anglorum’ (2018, BC 95551), ‘Zamboni – lute music’ (2014) and ‘Kapsberger – Libro primo di lauto/Libro D’Intavolatura di Lauto’ (2013, BC 94409) and ‘Neusidler – Lute Music’ (2022, BC 96456) have received international critical acclaim. He has collaborated with musicians like Dame Emma Kirkby, Núria Rial, Andrew Lawrence-King, Lars Ulrik Mortensen and Teodor Currentzis. Yavor has studied early plucked instruments and basso continuo with Jakob Lindberg.