The Consort of Musicke is a British early-music group, founded in 1969 by

lutenist 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 refe ...

Anthony Rooley Anthony Rooley (born 10 June 1944 in Leeds) is a British lutenist. Career In 1969, Rooley founded and directed the early music ensemble The Consort of Musicke, which continues to be one of the chief vehicles for his inspiration, among many oth ...

, the ensemble's Artistic Director. Members of the group have included such well-known artists as sopranos

Emma Kirkby Dame Carolyn Emma Kirkby, (; born 26 February 1949) is an English soprano and early music specialist. She has sung on over 100 recordings. Education and early career Kirkby was educated at Hanford School, Sherborne School for Girls in Dors ...

and

Evelyn Tubb Evelyn Tubb is an English soprano, and long-time member of The Consort of Musicke and one of the world's greatest early music specialists, known for her innovative and original performances. Life She originally comes from the Isle of Wight and s ...

, alto Mary Nichols, tenors

Paul Agnew Paul Agnew (born 1964 in Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europ ...

, Andrew King and

Joseph Cornwell Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

, and bass

Simon Grant Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

. The Consort has gone through several major phases in its long life, reflecting the range of passions of Anthony Rooley. The line-up of performers has likewise changed over the years, and expands to encompass particular projects. Core singers since 2004; Evelyn Tubb soprano, Lucy Ballard alto, Andrew King tenor, Simon Grant bass. The group has made more than 120 recordings that reflect the exploration of music of earlier times, though many of the earlier recordings only exist on vinyl. The Consort’s recent CD recordings include the ''pre-Raphaelite'' madrigals of

Robert Lucas Pearsall Robert Lucas Pearsall (14 March 1795 – 5 August 1856) was an English composer mainly of vocal music, including an elaborate setting of "In dulci jubilo" and the richly harmonic part song '' Lay a garland'' of 1840, both still often performed to ...

, and the motets of the Dutch composer

Verrijt Jan Baptist Verrijt (Rotterdam c.1600-1650) was a Dutch composer and organist of the St. Laurenskerk in Rotterdam. His works are mainly lost, though his Opus 5 was rediscovered in the 1980s.Frits Noske ''Sweelinck'' 1988 "The most outstanding com ...

, which received enthusiastic responses from the Dutch critics. Current repertoire includes a theatrical programme of mad songs; an exploration of English Biblical Narratives of the 17th Century; and a programme which weaves the music of John Dowland with that of his contemporaries, reflecting the close-knit musical community of in his day.

Discography

The Consort's earliest recordings on LP for

Decca Classics Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. In ...

' '' L'Oiseau Lyre'' early-music label were for many years unobtainable, although some major recordings, such as the first and only complete recording of Le Chansonnier Cordiforme, were reissued in Japan. Several of these LPs were released by Australian Eloquence on CD for the first time during 2009 and 2010. Other recordings were released in the 12 disc box ''Dowland - The Collected Works'' (2007). Consort discs made up 18 of the 50 discs in The ''Medieval & Renaissance'' box set released in 2016 by Universal Music's Decca label. Vocal members included Mary Nichols, whose voice was described as the firmest in the business by Anthony Rooley. At least one of her recordings is in the Library of Congress in Washington.

External links

Hyperion Records; artist's page for the Consort
* ttp://www.medieval.org/emfaq/performers/com2.html biography for the Consort (a few errors) and extensive discographybr>biography for the Consort (a few errors) and recent discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Consort of Musicke Early music consorts British classical music groups Musical groups established in 1969