One lutenist about whom we are well informed was not a professional musician, but he nevertheless played an important role in the musical life of the Dutch Republic in the Golden Age. That lutenist is Constantijn Huygens (1596-1687). Nowadays he is regarded as one of the greatest Dutch poets of the century, but he himself thought of his literary work as unimportant, merely a way to fill the idle hours. As a civil servant he played a major role in politics and in the administration of the Republic. He served three consecutive princes of Orange: Frederik Hendrik, William II and later also William III. We also know him as the man who built Hofwijck, the country house still to be seen near The Hague. Apart from being a poet, a diplomat and a civil servant, Constantijn Huygens was a lifelong lover of music; he played several instruments well and composed, too. In his worldview, however, apart from providing relaxation after a busy day, the role of music was mainly a social one: a display of cultural versatility was a way of establishing contacts in higher circles. Huygens took great care to avoid creating the impression of being a professional musician; that was, after all, a class of people way below his own social level.

Constantijn Huygens was born in The Hague as the second son of Christiaan Huygens, secretary of the Council of State, and Suzanna Hoefnagel, who came from a wealthy Antwerp family. Together with his brother Maurits, Constantijn received excellent tuition in which French, Latin and Greek were the central focus (later he also learnt Italian and English). Equally important, however, were practical and artistic skills such as horse riding, fencing, music, drawing and sculpture, as well as dancing and a facility for moving elegantly and easily; this was all to prepare him for mixing in the aristocratic milieu. This was followed by an education in law, mathematics and logic. In 1616, he and his brother went to study law at Leiden University, from where he graduated in 1617. He then embarked on his society career with apprenticeship journeys in the company of ambassadors to England and Venice, and then to England again (1618-1624).