Lawes: Consort Sets in five & six parts

"Nor was the King's soul so deeply grieved at the death of a near kinsman and noble lord, that when he heard of the death of his dear servant William Lawes, he would not have particularly mourned the passing of him whom he had loved in his lifetime, and commonly called the father of music."
From: History of the Worthies of England, Thomas Fuller (1662)

On September 24, 1645, the untimely death of William Lawes, who died at the age of 43 during the siege of Chester, deprived England of a musical personality who was one of the most creatively open-minded and fascinating of the time. As a tribute to this brilliant composer, the all too long forgotten "father of music", we have decided to celebrate the 400th anniversary of his birth with the complete recording of all ten consort sets for five and six voices.

The compilation of fantasias, in-nominal settings, arias and dance suites is in the strict tradition of the viol sets (with five sets for five viols and organ and five six-part sets played here by two violins, four viols and organ) and undoubtedly contains the true essence of Lawes' enigmatic, passionate and innovative artistry in its purest and most recognizable form: Inventiveness and superb craftsmanship, boldness and discipline, sensitivity and virtuosity, poetry and passion, spiritualization and sensuality are combined with unerring skill and brought out most freely by means of bold and thorough mastery of the expressive potential of all aspects of melody, counterpoint and harmony. William Lawes proves to be uncompromising in his appropriation of a musical discourse that still surprises us today with the intensity of its expressive power and its unconditional modernity.

Over thirty years of theory and practice with the gambist team of Hespèrion XX and XXI (in research projects, teaching, concert performances and recordings) in the repertoire for viol consort, from its beginnings to the last fantasias of Henry Purcell, but especially our recordings of the music of exemplary composers of this genre such as Christopher Tye, William Byrd, Anthony Holborne, John Dowland, William Brade, Orlando Gibbons, John Coprario, Alfonso Ferrabosco, John Jenkins, Matthew Locke and the great Henry Purcell, not to mention the wonderful composers from the time of Elizabeth I. and James I, have prompted us to approach the interpretation of William Lawes' music with great respect and fascination. Above all, we were aware of the fact that the composer's great boldness and experimentation, reflected in so many examples of extremely daring use of instrumental polyphony and in the unique, highly individual character of his compositional style, is always driven by a profound inner logic in the service of essential musical meaning and depth of expression.

Like Dowland's Lachrimae, Purcell's Fantasias, Bach's Art of Fugue, Haydn's Seven Words of the Savior on the Cross and Beethoven's last five string quartets, William Lawes' Consort Sets deserve to be known not only as some of the most original masterpieces of chamber music of all time, but also and above all for their extraordinary beauty, poetry and passion. These qualities are expressed in the balanced interplay of fleeting notes, melodies and harmonies, offering precious insights into an extraordinary spirit, a sensitive and enigmatic voice. We have only just begun to get to know this spirit and this voice, but they will become increasingly indispensable in the fascinating process of rediscovering an important musical past.

Works:
• Lawes, W: Consort Sets a 5 in G minor, A minor, C minor, F major & C major

 • Lawes, W: Consort Sets a 6 in G minor, C major, F major, B flat major & C minor