A consort of instruments was a phrase used in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

during the 16th and 17th centuries to indicate an

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

. These could be of the same or a variety of instruments. Consort music enjoyed considerable popularity at court and in 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 symbol of Britannia (a female person ...

, and many pieces were written for consorts by the major composers of the period. In the Baroque era consort music was absorbed into

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

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 viol (), viola da gamba (), or informally gamba, is any one of a family of bowed, fretted, and stringed instruments with hollow wooden bodies and pegboxes where the tension on the strings can be increased or decreased to adjust the pitc ...

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 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 "lute" can re ...

). Major forms of music composed for consorts included fantasias, cantus firmus settings (including '' In nomines''), variations, dances or ayres, and fantasia suites.

Major composers

Composers of consort music during the

include

John Dowland John Dowland (c. 1563 – 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" ...

, Anthony Holborne, Osbert Parsley, and William Byrd. The principal Jacobean era composers included

Thomas Lupo Thomas Lupo (baptised 7 August 1571 – probably December 1627) was an English composer and viol player of the late Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. Along with Orlando Gibbons, John Coprario, and Alfonso Ferrabosco, he was one of the principal d ...

, Orlando Gibbons, John Coprario, and Alfonso Ferrabosco. William Lawes was a principal composer during the Caroline era. Later 17th-century composers included John Jenkins, Christopher Simpson,

Matthew Locke Matthew Locke may refer to: * Matthew Locke (administrator) (fl. 1660–1683), English Secretary at War from 1666 to 1683 * Matthew Locke (composer) (c. 1621–1677), English Baroque composer and music theorist * Matthew Locke (soldier) (1974–2007 ...

and Henry Purcell.

Modern consorts

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

B-Five Recorder Consort ''B-Five Recorder Consort'' is a European recorder quintet. The centerpiece of the ensemble's programs forms the consort music of the renaissance period. In addition to that the musicians try to establish a new repertoire for recorder quintet in ...

Catacoustic Consort The Catacoustic Consort is an early music chamber ensemble based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was founded in 2001 by Annalisa Pappano. It specializes in historically informed performances of Baroque and Renaissance music. History Since its founding in ...

* The Consort of Musicke * Dunedin Consort * Early Music Consort of London *

Gaia Consort Gaia Consort is the original incarnation of Seattle, Washington, Seattle-based folk-rock, 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 fo ...

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 styles of baroque, ren ...

* The King's Consort *

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 Paul Winter Consort The Paul Winter Consort is an American musical group. Bassist Eliot Wadopian has been a member. Discography Films *''Canyon Consort'' (1985) References External linksLiving Music- Paul Winter's record label {{Authority control American j ...

* Quadriga Consort * Ricercar Consort *

Rose Consort of Viols The Rose Consort of Viols is an English ensemble of viol players who perform mainly early consort music, including works by Orlando Gibbons, John Dowland, and Henry Purcell. They have performed around the world at many events, have appeared a n ...

http://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 * Taverner Consort *

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 le ...

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