Deux-Elles the flautadors recorder quartet Henry Purcell Phantasies, Ayres & Chaconys Phantasies, Ayres & Chaconys of the reason they work so successfully. Despite a “With my wife and Deb to the King’s house Theatrical entitled The Fantastick is almost certainly common tonality these works are quite varied in to see The Virgin Martyr ... and it is mighty a curtain tune and, as such, is the first piece in our First impressions may imply that recorders would character; No. 3 often modulates to the sub-domi- pleasant; not that the play is worth much … suite. To continue this fantastical theme, we have not have been the instruments of choice for much nant whilst No. 4 favours a move to the brighter But that which did please me beyond any thing also included the sublime Descent of Venus in her of the repertoire included on this disc. However, tone colour of C major. in the whole world was the wind-musique … Chariot pulled by Doves from the printed score of the contemporary evidence would suggest that in I could not believe that ever any musique hath Locke’s opera Psyche. fact recorders were in wide use both in court and Henry Purcell, a great admirer of Locke, composed that real command over the soul of a man as did in the theatres. During the reign of Charles II, the nine Fantazias in four parts in the year 680 this upon me; and makes me resolve to practice TheChaconne from the ‘First music’ of King Arthur musical establishment was reinstated and records – indeed we even have a specific date for each work. wind-musique, and to make my wife do the is a bright, cheerful dance, true in character to the from 663 and 667 describe the wind musicians Written whilst working as a court musician as an like.” (Pepys, February 7 668) traditional chaconne. The same music also forms (which totalled 6) as “musicians of the recorders, exploration of counterpoint, these pieces may not part of the Birthday Ode to King James from 687; the flutes, the hautboys and sackbuts”. This period have been performed during Purcell’s lifetime; the “To Drumbleby’s and there did talk a great deal Sound the trumpet. In contrast Two in one upon a also saw the emergence of the new baroque type of viol consort, for which these pieces were originally about pipes; and did buy a recorder, which I do ground from Dioclesian is a beautifully intimate recorder that arrived in England in September 673 intended, was going out of fashion. However, these intend to learn to play on, the sound of it being, piece with the two treble recorders in canon with four French players: James Paisible, Maxant wonderfully rich works with their astonishing chro- of all sounds in the world, most pleasing to me.” throughout. Although described as a chaconne it De Bresmes, Pierre Guiton and Jean Boutet. maticisms are a joy to explore from a player’s point (Pepys, April 8 668) is actually more comparable to a passagalia. There The very presence of these four recorder players, of view, and certainly a pleasure for the listener too. were originally quite specific differences between coupled with the reduction in scoring of music at Many of the Fantazias cannot be played on record- The music that makes up our Purcell suite comes the two – a true passagalia is a minor sequence of court from five to four parts around the time of the ers without some alterations or compromises. As a from a manuscript held in the Royal College of four descending notes from the tonic to the domi- Restoration, makes the case for performances of consequence, we selected four that felt comfortable Music (MS 117). This work is an anthology of nant – but gradually these terms became almost this music by recorder quartet quite compelling. on recorders and seemed to lend themselves more theatre music, most likely from the Theatre Royal, interchangeable. to the timbre of wind instruments. Drury Lane, and appears to have been part of a Matthew Locke’s six suites from the Consort of grander scheme to organise the theatre’s library. The bass inThree parts upon a ground is not original Four Parts (originally intended for viol consort) In arranging the theatre suites, we aimed to recreate Music collated at this time was often based on a to Purcell but was used as an example by Christo- are intriguing works. After their initial composi- the 7th century practice of assembling popular shared tonality, which may go some way to explain pher Simpson in the Compendium of Practical Music tion, Locke returned to these pieces many times, pieces from the theatre for domestic performance. this collection’s exhaustive search for pieces solely (667). A 22 bar fragment of Purcell’s work can making amendments over a twenty-year period. Each suite is headed by an overture and followed by in G minor. Whilst it is unclear which work the be found on the back of an inserted leaf contained Each suite consists of a Fantasia, Courante, Ayre several dances, airs or descriptive music. However, ‘overture’ comes from (intriguingly attributed to within the manuscript of the anthem Behold, now and Sarabande. During this period in England the it is also well noted that the recorder was widely an ‘opera’), the dance movements are quite familiar praise the Lord from 680. This source not only Sarabande was known as a quicker dance than the used and found great favour in the theatre itself. being from Abdelazer, Dido and Aeneas and Timon gives a clue to the date of composition but also French version, being described as the “shortest There are many contemporary accounts of its of Athens. provides evidence that the work was intended for triple-time” by the English composer Thomas usage, none perhaps better known than those performance on recorders in F major as well as for Mace. We chose two of Locke’s suites that worked found in Pepys’ diaries: Most of the Locke theatre suite comes from a three violins in D major. The fragment is labelled particularly well on our instruments – perhaps the manuscript source entitled The Rare Theatrical. Al- ‘second recorder in F’ and also carries the instruc- key of F coupled with recorders in F and C is part though not indicated as such, the piece in The Rare tion “playd notes higher for flutes”. A common Page Page practice on the continent at the time was to publish Phantasies, Ayres & Chaconys nent particulièrement bien sur nos instruments était beaucoup utilisée et plus appréciée au théâtre wind music with double clefs and double keys, thus – peut-être que la clef de fa combinée aux flûtes lui-même. Il existe de nombreux témoignages con- enabling recorder players to play the music of flutes A première vue, on pourrait penser que les flûtes à à bec en fa et ut explique en partie pourquoi cela temporains de son utilisation, dont le plus connu and oboes by the using the French violin clef. bec ne sont pas les instruments de prédilection d’une fonctionna si bien. Malgré une tonalité en commun, est celui figurant dans les journaux de Pepys: grande partie du répertoire figurant sur ce CD. ces œuvres possèdent des caractères assez variés ; la Purcell utilized the recorder in many songs, odes, Cependant, des preuves contemporaines suggèrent no.3 module souvent vers la sous-dominante tandis “Avec mon épouse et Deb chez le roi pour voir symphonies and of course in some of his greatest qu’en fait les flûtes à bec étaient beaucoup utilisées que la no.4 préfère un mouvement vers la couleur la Vierge Martyre … et c’est fort plaisant; non dramatic works. Whilst the recorder quartet never à la fois à la cour et dans les théâtres. Pendant le tonique plus vive de l’ut majeur. pas que la pièce vaille grand’ chose … Mais appeared as such, recorders were amongst the règne de Charles II, l’establishment musical fut ce qui m’a plu plus que tout au monde, c’est musical forces employed and, since much of the rétabli et des registres de 663 et 667 décrivent les Henry Purcell, grand admirateur de Locke, compo- la musique pour instruments à vent ... Je ne theatre music appears in four part score, it transfers joueurs d’instruments à vent (6 au total) comme sa neuf Fantazias en quatre parties en 680 – nous pouvais croire qu’une musique ait ce tel pouvoir easily. As for combining the recorder with the lute les « joueurs de flûte à bec, de flûte, de hautbois et avons même une date précise pour chaque œuvre. sur l’âme d’un homme comme le fit celle-là, et or guitar, Purcell himself recognized the virtues of de saquebute ». Cette période vit aussi l’émergence Ecrits alors qu’il était musicien à la cour comme elle m’a fait prendre la décision de pratiquer la this combination: du type de flûte à bec du nouveau baroque qui une exploration du contrepoint, ces morceaux musique pour instruments à vent, et que ma vie arriva en Angleterre en septembre 673 grâce à n’ont peut-être pas été joués du vivant de Purcell; l’imite.” (Pepys, le 7 février 668) “In vain the Am’rous flute and soft Guitar quatre joueurs français : Jacques Paisible, Maxant l’ensemble de violes (pour lequel ces morceaux Jointly labour to inspire De Bresmes, Pierre Guiton et Jean Boutet. La avaient d’abord été créés) se démodait. Cependant, “Chez Drumbleby, où nous avons beaucoup Ardent heat and loose desire: présence même de ces quatre joueurs de flûte à bec, ces œuvres, à la merveilleuse richesse de par leurs parlé de pipeaux, et où j’ai acheté une flûte à Whilst they chaste airs do gently move ajoutée à la réduction des arrangements de cinq à étonnants chromatismes, sont une joie du point bec, j’ai la ferme intention d’apprendre à y jouer, Seraphic Flame and Heavenly Love.” quatre parties vers la Restauration, rend irréfutables de vue du joueur, et certainement un plaisir pour son son, parmi tout autre au monde, me plaisant (Ode for St Cecilia’s Day, Hail Bright Cecelia, 69) les arguments en faveur de l’interprétation de cette l’auditeur également.