Purcell: Fantazias

Featuring

Emily Ashton
Harry Buckoke
Chelys Consort of Viols
Henry Purcell

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Historical Context

During the Restoration period (1660), public taste in music shifted from domestic chamber music to theatrical works, influenced by King Charles II, who reportedly 'detested' fantasias.

Composition History

The Fantazias and In Nomines by Henry Purcell are preserved in an autograph volume in the British Library, titled 'The Works of Hen; Purcell Anno Dom. 1680'.

Compositional Technique

In Nomines are fantasias built upon a cantus firmus (a pre-existing melody) derived from a section of the Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas by Renaissance composer John Taverner, a uniquely English tradition.

Composer Biography

Henry Purcell, the composer, was only 20 years old when he wrote these Fantazias and In Nomines, while already working for London theatres and holding posts at Westminster Abbey and court.

Instruments

The Chelys Consort of Viols uses viols strung entirely in gut, as would have been historically accurate, to achieve a distinctive sound.

Interpretation

The Chelys Consort of Viols, the performers on this album, uses an alto viol for the problematic second voice in some fantasias to cover all notes without transpositions, as they are a viol consort.