In my youth, I learned at school that the Renaissance represented the rebirth of human individuality. In the Mediaeval era, people were bound, read suppressed, by the collectivism of church and nobility, in the Renaissance self-awareness returned. The long forgotten classical antiquity of Greeks and Romans came into view again in culture. It was no peaceful period; this rebirth had its labour in the form of excessive violence.
When I am listening Renaissance music, I am often surprised that I cannot hear a trace of the turbulence of those days. The music seems to be isolated from the suffering of that time, it leads an own life in tranquillity. Maybe that is the essence of music, that it is a refuge, a dream of the quiet and serene life that people wished to lead.
When I started to play the guitar, my first pieces were Renaissance pieces. That was cause by my purchase of The Renaissance Guitar by Frederic Noad. Within this style, I gave preference to English composers (with lots of folk music in their compositions) and Dutch/Flemish composers (out of sheer interest).
In this collection by Noad there were duo pieces too. Rewarding material, the reason why Lesson for Two Lutes, Drewries Accordes and The Flatt Pavin are part of this section.
In the Renaissance section you will find pieces by the Franco-Dutchman Nicolas Vallet, the English composers John Dowland, Thomas Robinson and John Johnson plus the famous Mr. Anonymous in a mixed category.
The DOS Amigos Homepage has a collection of about 12 duo pieces from the Renaissance.