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A consort of instruments was a phrase used in England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
 during the 16th and 17th centuries to indicate an instrumental ensemble.

A consort may be "whole", that is, all instruments of the same family. For example, a set of viol
Viol

The viol is any one of a family of bow , fretted, stringed instruments musical instruments developed in the 1400s and used primarily in the Renaissance music and Baroque music periods....
s played together would be considered a whole consort. A "broken" consort
Broken consort

A broken consort is an instrumental ensemble that developed in Europe during the Renaissance music. It originally referred to ensembles featuring instruments from more than one family of instruments, as for example a group featuring both string and wind instruments....
 would consist of instruments from various families. For example, a broken consort could consist of viol
Viol

The viol is any one of a family of bow , fretted, stringed instruments musical instruments developed in the 1400s and used primarily in the Renaissance music and Baroque music periods....
s and lute
Lute

Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
 playing together. The term "broken consort" is of 20th century origin.






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A consort of instruments was a phrase used in England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
 during the 16th and 17th centuries to indicate an instrumental ensemble.

A consort may be "whole", that is, all instruments of the same family. For example, a set of viol
Viol

The viol is any one of a family of bow , fretted, stringed instruments musical instruments developed in the 1400s and used primarily in the Renaissance music and Baroque music periods....
s played together would be considered a whole consort. A "broken" consort
Broken consort

A broken consort is an instrumental ensemble that developed in Europe during the Renaissance music. It originally referred to ensembles featuring instruments from more than one family of instruments, as for example a group featuring both string and wind instruments....
 would consist of instruments from various families. For example, a broken consort could consist of viol
Viol

The viol is any one of a family of bow , fretted, stringed instruments musical instruments developed in the 1400s and used primarily in the Renaissance music and Baroque music periods....
s and lute
Lute

Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
 playing together. The term "broken consort" is of 20th century origin. It seems to derive from the term "broken music" referring to making divisions on a melody. The term consort in the 17th century referred to different instruments consorting together rather than a set of instruments of the same type.

Composers of consort music during the Elizabethan era
Elizabethan era

The Elizabethan era is associated with Elizabeth I of England's reign and is often considered to be the Golden Age in History of England. It was the height of the English Renaissance and saw the flowering of English poetry and English literature....
 include John Dowland
John Dowland

John Dowland was an England composer, singer, and lutenist. He is best known today for his melancholia songs such as "Come, heavy sleep" , "Come Again ", "Flow my tears", "I saw my Lady weepe" and "In darkness let me dwell", but his instrumental music has undergone a major revival, and has been a source of repertoire for classical guitarists...
, Anthony Holborne
Anthony Holborne

Anthony Holborne was a composer of English consort of instruments music during the reign of Elizabeth I of England....
, and William Byrd
William Byrd

William Byrd was an English composer of the Renaissance music. He cultivated many of the forms current in England at the time, including various types of sacred and secular polyphony, Keyboard instrument and consort music...
. The principal Jacobean era
Jacobean era

The Jacobean era refers to the period in England and Scotland history that coincides with the reign of King James I of England of England, who was also James VI of Scotland....
 composers included Thomas Lupo
Thomas Lupo

Thomas Lupo was an English composer and viol player of the late Elizabeth I of England and Jacobean era eras. Along with Orlando Gibbons, John Coprario, and Alfonso Ferrabosco the younger, he was one of the principal developers of the repertory for viol consort of instruments....
, Orlando Gibbons
Orlando Gibbons

Orlando Gibbons was an England composer and organist of the late Tudor period and early Jacobean era. He was a leading composer in the England of his day....
, John Coprario, and Alfonso Ferrabosco
Alfonso Ferrabosco the younger

Alfonso Ferrabosco the younger was an England composer and viol player of Italy descent. He straddles the line between the Renaissance music and Baroque music eras....
. Later 17th-century composers included Christopher Simpson
Christopher Simpson

Christopher Simpson was an English musician and composer, particularly associated with music for the viol....
, William Lawes
William Lawes

William Lawes was an England composer and musician.He was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire and was baptised on 1 May 1602. He was the son of Thomas Lawes, a vicar choral at Salisbury Cathedral, and brother to Henry Lawes, a very successful composer in his own right....
, and Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell

Henry Purcell...
.

See also

  • Chest of viols
    Chest of viols

    Chest of viols is a term which was used primarily in the 16th and 17th centuries in England for either a consort of instruments of viols, or the specialized cabinet made to contain a small consort of viols, usually containing two treble, two tenor, and two bass viols, or alternately two treble, three tenor, and one bass viol....


External links

  • Robins, Brian. ""
  • Collection of viol consort videos (YouTube)