Consorts in two Parts

Grand Prize-Winner in the Second Dorian-Early Music America Recording Competition Locke's Consorts For Several Friends Mathew Locke's music reflects the turbulent times of its creation, England of the seventeenth century was the England of the Civil War, the beheading of Charles I, Cromwell's Commonwealth and the Stuart Restoration. During this time England also witnessed major changes in its musical tastes. The Renaissance polyphonic style with its equal voices and complex counterpoint waned, and a style based on vertical harmony and a polarization of voices emerged. Locke had his feet solidly planted in the tradition of polyphonic music, but felt the pull of the new musical directions. His music was experimental in its daring harmonies and in the unusual shape of its melodies. In this age of transition, Locke was free to develop his own voice, pushing toward but never quite attaining the new baroque style that was about to emerge. -Elin Söderström