The Consort of Musicke
The Consort of Musicke is an English ensemble devoted to Renaissance-era and Baroque music, particularly from England and Italy. The group has consisted of a varying number of singers and instrumentalists over the years, but often personnel in concert and on recordings has been two sopranos, one alto, two tenors, and one bass, with accompaniment on lute or viols. The Consort has generally been ranked among the most important ensembles in the revival of early English music. The group has made numerous recordings for a variety of labels, including EMI, L'Oiseau Lyre, MD&G, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Nonesuch, Hyperion, and its own (but now defunct) Musica Oscura.
The Consort of Musicke was founded in 1969 by lutenists Anthony Rooley and James Tyler. In 1972 Rooley took the reins solely as the group's artistic director and has served in that capacity ever since. Beside Rooley only two other musicians from the group have been members since its inception -- Rooley's wife, renowned soprano Emma Kirkby, and bass David Thomas. Other members have included soprano Evelyn Tubb, alto Mary Nichols, tenors Andrew King, and Joseph Cornwell and bass Simon Grant. The group has also included various string players such as violinists Catherine Mackintosh and Polly Waterfield, and bass viol players Trevor Jones and Jane Ryan.
The ensemble debuted in London in 1969 and quickly achieved acclaim with both critics and public alike. By the early '70s, its first recordings were appearing on the L'Oiseau Lyre label and included O Vilanella, a collection of popular sixteenth century Italian songs, and Coprario: Songs of Mourning. Eventually the ensemble -- or smaller contingents from it, like Rooley and Kirkby -- began appearing on numerous acclaimed recordings in repertory that included songs of Dowland, madrigals of Monteverdi, and other often unexplored material.
Throughout the 1980s and '90s, the group's reputation grew with many critically acclaimed tours, including to Italy, Austria, Holland, Germany, and Israel. Typical concert programs focused on a variety of Renaissance-era and Baroque works.
In 1993 Rooley, in partnership with Arjen Terpstra, founded the label Musica Oscura, and over the next decade or so issued over 20 recordings. In the new century the Consort of Musicke has remained busy in both the concert hall and recording studio. Among the ensemble's most important recordings was the March 2007 reissue on Decca of John Dowland: The Collected Works, a 12-CD set.
© Robert Cummings /TiVo
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Dowland: The Collected Works
The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 24 Feb 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Monteverdi: Il terzo libro de madrigali
The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 11 May 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Monteverdi: Lamento D'Arianna
Classical - Released by Deutsche Harmonia Mundi on 31 Jul 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Monteverdi: 1610 Vespers/Madrigals/Orfeo
New London Consort, Philip Pickett, The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley, Schütz Choir of London, Roger Norrington
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cipriano de Rore: Il quinto libro di Madrigali (1568)
The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley
Classical - Released by Cantus Records on 19 Mar 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gibbons/Wilbye/Morley: The Silver Swan; English Madrigals
The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley
Classical - Released by Decca (UMO) on 1 Jan 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Monteverdi Duets & Solos
Emma Kirkby, Evelyn Tubb, The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley
Classical - Released by Allegro on 1 Jan 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dowland: First Booke of Songes
The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dowland: Second Booke of Songs
The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jul 1977
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Monteverdi: Quarto Libro di Madrigali
The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Apr 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Monteverdi: Quinto libro dei madrigali
The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Aug 1984
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
D'India: Il primo libro de madrigali, 1607
The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley
Classical - Released by Cantus Records on 3 Sep 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Claudio Monteverdi: The Eighth Book of Madrigals - Madrigals of Love
The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 2 Aug 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dowland: Third Booke of Songs
The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Mar 1978
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cor mio, deh, non languire: 21 Settings on Guarini's Madrigal (c. 1597 - c. 1700)
The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley
Classical - Released by Cantus Records on 22 Jun 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ward: Madrigals, Fantasias, Psalms & Anthems
The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley
Classical - Released by Cantus Records on 7 Dec 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dowland: A Pilgrim's Solace; Mr Henry Noell Lamentations; Psalmes
The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Feb 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dowland: Lachrimae
The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Oct 1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Marini: Le Lagrime d'Ermina
Emma Kirkby, Nigel Rogers, The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1979
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Duetti da Camera
Emma Kirkby, Judith Nelson, The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 May 1981
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
De Wert: Il settimo libro de madrigali
The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo