List of composers for lute

This is a list of composers who wrote for lute and similar period instruments: theorbo, chitarrone, vihuela etc. Composers who worked outside of their country of origin are listed according to where they were most active, i.e. German-born Johannes Hieronymus Kapsberger is listed under Italy. Within sections, the order is alphabetical by surname (or, in cases of, for example, Pietrobono and Lorenzino, by first name).

Renaissance and Baroque

Italy

Late 15th century to mid-16th century

Francesco Canova da Milano, 1497–1543

• Giovanni Maria Alemanni (fl. 1500–1525, no compositions survive)
• Pietro Paolo Borrono (c. 1490/5–after 1563)
• Franciscus Bossinensis (fl. 1510)
• Vincenzo Capirola (1474–after 1548)
• Giovanni Maria da Crema (fl. 1540–50)
• Marco Dall'Aquila (c.1480–after 1538)
• Joan Ambrosio Dalza (fl. 1508)
• Perino Fiorentino (1523–1552)
• Francesco Canova da Milano (1497–1543)
• Pietrobono de Burzellis (c.1417–1497, no compositions survive)
• Francesco Spinacino (fl. 1507)
• Giovanni Angelo Testagrossa (1470–1530, no compositions survive)

Mid 16th–17th centuries

• Bernardino Balletti (fl. 1554)
• Giulio Cesare Barbetta (1540–1603)
• Bellerofonte Castaldi (1580–1649)
• Francesco Corbetta (c.1615–1681, composed for Baroque guitar)
• Fabrizio Dentice (c.1539–1581)
• The Galilei family:
  • Vincenzo Galilei (late 1520s–1591)
  • Michelagnolo Galilei (1575–1631), his son
• Bernardo Gianoncelli (died before 1650)
• Giacomo Gorzanis (c.1520–late 1570s)
• Giovanni Battista dalla Gostena (1558–1593)
• Johannes Hieronymus Kapsberger (c.1580–1651, of German descent)
• Lorenzino dai Liuti (died 1608)
• Pietro Paolo Melli (1579–after 1623)
• Simone Molinaro (c.1570–after 1633)
• Alessandro Piccinini (1566–1638)
• Giulio Severino (died before 1602)
• Giovanni Antonio Terzi (c.1580–1600)
• Giovanni Zamboni (fl. second half of the 17th century)

Late 17th–18th centuries

• Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)
• Francesco Bartolomeo Conti
• Filippo dalla Casa
• Melchiorre Chiesa

France

• Pierre Attaingnant (c.1494–c.1551, publisher, possibly composer)
• Robert Ballard (1575–1649)
• Julien Belin (c.1525/30–1584)
• Jean-Baptiste Besard (c.1567–after 1616)
• Pierre Blondeau (fl. 1st half of the 16th century)
• Mlle Bocquet (fl. 1st half of the 17th century)
• The Dubut family:
  • Pierre Dubut le père (c.1610–1681)
  • Pierre Dubut le fils (after 1642–c.1700), his son
• François Dufaut (before 1604–before 1672)
• Anthoine Francisque (c.1575–1605)
• The Gallot family:
  • Alexandre Gallot (1625/30–1684)
  • Jacques Gallot (died c.1690)
  • Pierre Gallot (c.1660–after 1716)
  • Henry François Gallot, Sieur de Franlieu (died after 1684)
• The Gaultier family:
  • Denis Gaultier (1597/1603–1672)
  • Ennemond Gaultier (1575–1651), his cousin
• Jacques Gautier (Gaultier) (fl. 1st half of the 17th century, died before 1660)
• Pierre Gautier (Gaultier) (1599–after 1638, active in Italy)
• Henri de L'Enclos (1592/3–1649)
• René Mesangeau (fl. 1567–1638)
• Germain Pinel (c. 1600–1664)
• Guillaume Morlaye (born c.1510)
• Charles Mouton (1617–1699)
• Jean-Paul Paladin (died before September 1565, Italian-born)
• Julien Perrichon (1566–c.1600)
• Jakub Reys (c.1550–c.1605, Polish-born)
• Albert de Rippe (1500–1551, Italian-born)
• Adrian Le Roy (c.1520–1598)
• Robert de Visée (c.1655–1732/3)

Spain

• Esteban Daza (c.1537–1591/6)
• Miguel de Fuenllana (fl. 1553–1578)
• Francisco Guerau (1649–1722, composed for Baroque guitar)
• Luys Milan (c.1500–after 1560)
• Alonso de Mudarra (c.1510–1580)
• Santiago de Murcia (c.1682–c.1740, moved to Mexico, composed for Baroque guitar)
• Luys de Narváez (fl. 1526–49)
• Diego Pisador (1509/10–after 1557)
• Lucas Ruiz de Ribayaz (born probably before 1650, composed for Baroque guitar)
• Gaspar Sanz (mid-17th century–early 18th century, composed for Baroque guitar)
• Enríquez de Valderrábano (fl. 1547)

England

• Daniel Bacheler (1572–1619)
• Thomas Campion (1567–1620)
• Francis Cutting (c.1550–c.1596)
• John Danyel (1564–c.1626)
• The Dowland family:
  • John Dowland (1563–1626)
  • Robert Dowland (1591–1641)
• Alfonso Ferrabosco the elder (1543–1588, Italian-born)
• Cuthbert Hely (fl. 1620–1640)
• Anthony Holborne (c.1545–1602)
• The Johnson family:
  • John Johnson (c.1545–1594)
  • Robert Johnson (c.1580–1634)
• Robert Jones (fl. 1597–1615)
• John Marchant (fl. 1588–1611)
• Thomas Robinson (fl. 1589–1609)
• Philip Rosseter (1567/8–1623)

Netherlands/Belgium

• Emanuel Adriaenssen (c.1554–1604)
• Josquin des Prez (c.1450–1521)
• Philips van Marnix van Sint-Aldegonde (1540–1598, no compositions survive)
• Joachim van den Hove (1567–1620)
• Gregorio Huet (before 1550–c.1616)
• Constantijn Huygens (1596–1687, no compositions survive)
• Nicolas Vallet (c.1583–after 1642, French-born)
• Jacques de Saint-Luc (1616–c.1710, worked in Paris, Vienna, etc.)

Germany/Austria

Sylvius Leopold Weiß, 1687–1750

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
• Jacques Bittner (fl. 1680)
• Ernst Gottlieb Baron (1696–1760)
• Adam Falckenhagen (1697–1754)
• Bernhard Joachim Hagen (1720–1787)
• Hans Judenkünig (c. 1445/50–1526)
• Karl Kohaut (1726–1784)
• Johann Kropfgans (1708-1770)
• Wolff Jakob Lauffensteiner (1676–1754)
• The Neusidler family:
  • Hans Neusidler (c.1508/09–1563)
  • Melchior Neusidler (1531–1590), eldest son of Hans
  • Conrad Neusidler (1541–after 1603), younger brother of Melchior
• The Reusner family: see Esaias Reusner (17th century)
• Sebastian Anton Scherer (1631–1712, no lute compositions survive)
• Arnolt Schlick (c.1460–after 1521)
• Mattheas Waissel (c.1535/40–1602)
• The Weiss family:
  • Johann Jacob Weiss (c.1662–1754, no compositions survive)
  • Silvius Leopold Weiss (1686–1750), son of Johann Jacob
  • Johann Sigismund Weiss (after 1690–1737), brother of Silvius Leopold
  • Johann Adolf Faustinus Weiss (1741–1814), son of Silvius Leopold

Other countries

• Bálint Bakfark (Hungary, c.1526/30–1576)
• Diomedes Cato (Italy, 1560/65–after 1607 or 1618, active in Poland)
• Wojciech Dlugoraj (Poland, 1557/8–c.1619)
• Jan Antonín Losy (Bohemia, c.1643–1721)

20th and 21st centuries

• Johann Nepomuk David (Germany)
• Vladimir Vavilov (Russia)
• Sandor Kallos (Ukraine and Russia)
• Toyohiko Satoh (Japan and Netherlands)
• Ronn McFarlane (US)
• Paulo Galvão (Portugal)
• Robert MacKillop (Scotland)
• Jozef van Wissem (US/The Netherlands)
• Alexandre Danilevsky (France and Russia)
• Dušan Bogdanović (US and Serbia)
• Roman Turovsky-Savchuk (US and Ukraine)
• Jacopo Gianninoto (Italy)