A combination rarely found in the musical scene nowadays, this Duo was in fact well-loved by German princes and city governments in the late medieval times. More than several occasions was the entry “portatifer-lautenslaher” (with numerous spelling variants) found on payment rolls and chronicals, telling us just how popular this “soft” musical ensemble was. What music did they play, what was their repertoire? Did they improvise, and how did they use existing vocal compositions and organ tablatures? Who were these people, what other instruments do they play? Well, this is what Duo PortaLauta aims to find out.

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