Locke: The Broken Consort, Part I & Tripla concordia

Featuring

Beth Wenstrom
Anne Timberlake
Anna Steinhoff
John Lenti
Wayward Sisters
Matthew Locke

Did you know?

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Composer Biography

Matthew Locke, the composer, was the most prominent English musician of his generation before Henry Purcell, occupying a unique place between Renaissance consort music and Baroque chamber music.

Historical Context

During the English Baroque, mixed ensembles of viols, violins, wind instruments, and plucked strings were common and often called 'broken consorts,' a term also used for a select group within the Private Musick.

Composition History

Matthew Locke was appointed Composer to the Private Musick, a band that entertained King Charles II, and to the 24 Violins, the court orchestra, after the Restoration in 1660.

Compositional Technique

Matthew Locke was the first composer to indicate a crescendo and decrescendo in orchestral music, using the instructions 'Lowder by degrees' and 'Soft and Slow by degrees' in his 1674 incidental music to The Tempest.

Composer Biography

Matthew Locke carved his name and the year 1638 into the organ screen of Exeter Cathedral, where he was likely trained as a singer and organist.

Performer Biography

Wayward Sisters, the performing group, won the 2011 Early Music America/Naxos competition, a nationwide search for new early music talent.

Composition History

The three suites Matthew Locke contributed to the 1677 anthology Tripla Concordia, two of which are on this recording, were the last music he published before his death.