The Royal Consort: Sett 1 in d minor by William Lawes

The Royal Consort: Sett 1 in d minor by William Lawes (1602-1645) Fantazy Aire (Alman 1) Alman Corant (1) Corant (2) Saraband Ecco Daniel Lee & Samuel Breene, Baroque violins Stephanie Hunt & Tess Roberts, violas da gamba Brian Bartling, archlute Jeffrey Noonan, theorbo Audio recording by Barry Hufker Video editing by Brian Bartling Early Music Missouri continued its 2025-2026 season with “Fit For a King,” a program of William Lawes’ Royal Consorts performed by a sextet of paired violins, viols and lutes, joined by countertenor Keith Wehmeier for songs by Lawes, Robert Johnson, and Nicholas Lanier. The English predilection for the viol, beginning in the sixteenth century, led to idiomatic music best represented in mixed or “broken consort” ensembles, such as Thomas Morley’s early Consort Lessons as well later works by William Lawes (1602-1645) that combined viols with violins, harps and theorboes. For his Royal Consorts, Lawes’ specifically proscribed two violins, two bass viols and two theorboes, a unique orchestration not found in other Baroque music. Such innovations in instrumentation coincided with compositional developments that include the gathering of contrasting movements to be performed as a “sett” or suite and the use of basso continuo accompaniment. Lawes’ setts typically opened with a contrapuntally complex movement, often an old-fashioned form like a fantasy or pavin. This opening precedes a series of dances that include almans, correntes and sarabands. Between the typical dances, Lawes inserted other brief movements with a variety of titles. Some of the ayres display characteristic dance rhythms and structures and can be identified as a saraband or corant. Sett 1 and Sett 6 also include a movement titled “ecco.” These charming little movements might be best appreciated as novelty numbers meant to amuse as well as to demonstrate some of the capabilities of the violin, a relatively new instrument. Visit earlymusicmissouri.net for more information and to subscribe to our newsletter.