A consort of instruments was a phrase used in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

during the 16th and 17th centuries to indicate an

instrumental ensemble A musical ensemble, also known as a music group, musical group, or a band is a group of people who perform Instrumental music, instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist ...

. These could consist of the same or a variety of instruments. Consort music enjoyed considerable popularity at court and in the households of the wealthy in the

Elizabethan era The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The Roman symbol of Britannia (a female ...

, and many pieces were written for consorts by the major composers of the period. In the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

era, consort music was absorbed into

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

Definitions and forms

The earliest documented example of the English word 'consort' in a musical sense is in George Gascoigne’s ''The Princelye Pleasures'' (1576). Only from the mid-17th century has there been a clear distinction made between a ''‘whole’, or ‘closed’ consort'', that is, all instruments of the same family (for example, a set of

viol The viola da gamba (), or viol, or informally gamba, is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played (i.e. "on the leg"). It is distinct from the later violin family, violin, or ; and it is any one of the earlier viol family of bow (m ...

s played together) and a ''‘mixed’, or ‘broken’ consort'', consisting of instruments from various families (for example viols and

lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lu ...

). Major forms of music composed for consorts included fantasias,

cantus firmus In music, a ''cantus firmus'' ("fixed melody") is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition. The plural of this Latin term is , although the corrupt form ''canti firmi'' (resulting from the grammatically incorrect trea ...

settings (including '' In nomines''),

variations Variation or Variations may refer to: Science and mathematics * Variation (astronomy), any perturbation of the mean motion or orbit of a planet or satellite, particularly of the moon * Genetic variation, the difference in DNA among individual ...

, dances or ayres, and fantasia suites.

Major composers

Composers of consort music during the

include

John Dowland John Dowland ( – buried 20 February 1626) was an English Renaissance composer, lutenist, and singer. He is best known today for his melancholy songs such as "Come, heavy sleep", " Come again", " Flow my tears", " I saw my Lady weepe", " N ...

Anthony Holborne Anthony ntonyHolborne olburne(c. 1545 – 29 November 1602) was a composer of music for lute, cittern, and instrumental consort of instruments, consort during the reign of Elizabeth I of England, Queen Elizabeth I. Life An "Anthony Holbu ...

Osbert Parsley Osbert Parsley (1510/15111585) was an English Renaissance music, Renaissance composer and Choir, chorister. Few details of his life are known, but he evidently married in 1558, and lived for a period in the parish of St Saviour's Church, Norwi ...

, and

William Byrd William Byrd (; 4 July 1623) was an English Renaissance composer. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native country and on the Continental Europe, Continent. He i ...

. The principal

Jacobean era The Jacobean era was the period in English and Scotland, Scottish history that coincides with the reign of James VI and I, James VI of Scotland who also inherited the crown of England in 1603 as James I. The Jacobean era succeeds the Elizabeth ...

composers included Thomas Lupo,

Orlando Gibbons Orlando Gibbons ( bapt. 25 December 1583 – 5 June 1625) was an English composer and keyboard player who was one of the last masters of the English Virginalist School and English Madrigal School. The best known member of a musical famil ...

, John Coprario, and Alfonso Ferrabosco.

William Lawes William Lawes (April 1602 – 24 September 1645) was an English composer and musician. Life and career Lawes was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire and was baptised on 1 May 1602. He was the son of Thomas Lawes, a vicar choral at Salisbury Cathe ...

was a principal composer during the

Caroline era The Caroline era is the period in English and Scottish history named for the 24-year reign of Charles I of England, Charles I (1625–1649). The term is derived from ''Carolus'', Latin for Charles. The Caroline era followed the Jacobean era, the ...

. Later 17th-century composers included John Jenkins, Christopher Simpson, Matthew Locke and

Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: ; September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer of Baroque music, most remembered for his more than 100 songs; a tragic opera, Dido and Aeneas, ''Dido and Aeneas''; and his incidental music to a version o ...

Modern consorts

In modern times, a number of ensembles have adopted the term "consort" in their names: * Armonico Consort *

The Baltimore Consort The Baltimore Consort is a musical ensemble that performs a wide variety of early music, Renaissance music and music from later periods. They began in 1980 as a group specializing in music of the Elizabethan period, but soon expanded their repert ...

* B-Five Recorder Consort * Catacoustic Consort *

The Consort of Musicke The Consort of Musicke is a British early-music group, founded in 1969 by lutenist Anthony Rooley, the ensemble's Artistic Director. The Consort of Musicke is mainly known for vocal music and members of the group have included such well-known sing ...

Dunedin Consort Dunedin Consort is a baroque music ensemble based in Edinburgh, Scotland. History The group was founded in 1995 by Susan Hamilton and Ben Parry. In 2003, the group chose John Butt as its conductor. Butt shared the title of co-artistic directo ...

Early Music Consort of London The Early Music Consort of London was a British music ensemble in the late 1960s and 1970s which specialised in historically informed performance of Medieval and Renaissance music. It was founded in 1967 by music academics Christopher Hogwood and ...

Gaia Consort Gaia Consort is the original incarnation of Seattle-based folk rock music-group Bone Poets Orchestra.Gaia Consort http://www.gaiaconsort.com The group, popular in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, was founded as Gaia Consort by Chri ...

The Harp Consort The Harp Consort is an international early music ensemble directed by Andrew Lawrence-King, specialising in Baroque opera, early dance-music, and historical World Music. The Harp Consort improvises within the distinct baroque, renaissance, and ...

The King's Consort The King's Consort is a British period music orchestra founded in 1980 by the English conductor and harpsichordist Robert King (b. 1960, Wombourne). The ensemble has an associated choral group, Choir of The King's Consort. Together, they have mad ...

Leonhardt-Consort Leonhardt-Consort, also known as the Leonhardt Baroque Ensemble, was a group of instrumentalists which its director, the keyboard player Gustav Leonhardt founded in 1955 to play baroque music. The Consort was active until around 1990, although some ...

* Locke Brass Consort *

The Newberry Consort The Newberry Consort is an early music ensemble from Chicago, Illinois. It was established in 1986 and is affiliated with the Newberry Library Center for Renaissance Studies. The Consort is also in residence at the University of Chicago and Northwe ...

Orlando Consort The Orlando Consort was a British vocal consort which is best known for performing Renaissance choral music one voice to a part. The Consort was founded in 1988 as part of the activities of the Early Music Network of Great Britain, a forerunner of t ...

* The Paul Winter Consort *

Quadriga Consort Quadriga Consort aka Quadriga Early Music Band is an early music ensemble from Austria. Founded in 2001 by harpsichordist Nikolaus Newerkla, the ensemble plays rearranged early British and Irish traditional music performed on period instruments. ...

* Clemencic Consort *

Ricercar Consort The Ricercar Consort is a Belgian instrumental ensemble founded in 1980 together with the Ricercar record label of Jérôme Lejeune. The founding members were violinist François Fernandez, organist Bernard Foccroulle, and viola da gamba pla ...

* Rose Consort of Violshttp://www.roseconsort.co.uk/ Rose Consort of Viols. *

Sherwood Consort The Sherwood Consort is an American early music group, founded in Berkeley, California, in 1995, and specializing in medieval music, particularly of England. The director is Mary Devlin.Madame Jane: A Romance - Page 534 Mary Devlin - 2003 About the ...

Southern Consort of Voices Southern Consort of Voices is an SATB adult mixed voice choir, based in Dunedin, New Zealand. Southern Consort was first set up in Dunedin in 1980 by Professor Jack Speirs. As the conductor of the Southern Consort, he introduced audiences to a n ...

Taverner Consort The Taverner Choir, Consort and Players is a British music ensemble which specialises in the performance of Early and Baroque music. The ensemble is made up of a Baroque orchestra (the Players), a vocal consort (the Consort) and a Choir. Performe ...

The Tudor Consort The Tudor Consort is a specialist early choral group based in Wellington, New Zealand. Depending on the repertoire the group can range in size from 5 to 25 members. The group was formed in 1986 by Simon Ravens with the intention of performing les ...

Notes

External links

Video of consort of viols
*Robins, Brian.

2008 Viol Extravaganza
Collection of viol consort videos (YouTube) {{Authority control *

Definitions and forms

Major composers

Modern consorts

See also

Notes

External links