Le Roy, Adrien
Le Roy, Adrien
Le Roy, Adrien, eminent French music printer, lutenist, guitarist, citternist, and composer; b. Montreuil-sur-mer, c. 1520; d. Paris, 1598. He was born into a family of wealth. With his cousin, Robert Ballard, he founded the printing concern of Le Roy & Ballard. King Henri II granted them a privilege to print music on Aug. 14, 1551. On Feb. 16, 1553, they were made printers to the king, an honor retained by the firm until the middle of the 18th century. Upon Ballard’s death in 1588, Le Roy ceased publishing until 1591 when Ballard’s widow, Lucrèce, joined him as a partner. At Le Roy’s death, the childless widower bequeathed his share of the firm to Lucrèce and the Ballard heirs. Le Roy was a distinguished instrumentalist and composer. His chansons and music for the lute, guitar, and cittern are notable. He also wrote some court odes. His instruction books on the lute, guitar, and cistre were influential for more than a century, and his firm also publ. his treatise on music theory in 1583.
—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire