Matthäus Waissel (1543-1602), a Lutheran theologist and lute player, published four collections of music for lute, some of which also included instructions for learning to play the instrument. Whether he actually composed any music himself is unclear. Based in East Prussia, his collections of music for lute were used across Europe at the time. This is a piece from his first Tabulatura for lute, and as the title page shows, both men and women played the lute.