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William Lawes was one of the main composers in
England in the first half of the 17th century. He was held in very
high esteem by King Charles I, himself a great lover and connoisseur
of the arts. But it was the King himself who was ultimately responsible
for the premature death of this great composer. As Mark Levy writes
in the lines notes: "Not one content to fiddle at home, since
after all he was more used to performing for one of the greatest
monarchs in Europe, he chose to fight and was duly knock’d on the
head in one of the last and most disastrous royalist manoeuvres,
shot in the massacre at Rowton Heath on 24 September 1645, as the
King watched from his vantage point atop the old city wall of Chester."
The fact that Lawes chose to fight, although he
didn’t have to, is an indication of the close relationship between
the composer and the king, but also tells us something about Lawes’
character – stubborn and recalcitrant - which is reflected in his
music for viol consort. If there is anything that strikes in the
pieces recorded here, it is Lawes’ unconventional musical language.
This recording brings together three of the ‘Consort Setts’ in 6
parts. These are basically suites, whose main sections are the ‘fantazies’,
where we meet Lawes at his most unconventional. The strange and
uncommon harmonies in some of these ‘fantazies’ are quite astonishing.
The second ‘fantazy’ of the Consort Sett in F ends – after a sudden
general pause – with a harmonic progression which can only be compared
to the madrigals of Carlo Gesualdo.
Sample 1 Track 3 02:20
And the ‘fantazy’ from the Consort Sett in g minor
lacks any harmonic pattern, wavering from the conventional to the
highly unusual and unexpected.
Sample 2 Track 11 02:00
The first ‘fantazy’ from the Consort Sett in F
reflects Lawes the composer of theatre music: it starts quietly,
but becomes more and more passionate, and then returns to the tranquillity
of the beginning.
This recording also contains all extant pieces
for the ‘lyra viol’. "The lyra viol was a small bass viol which
could be used in a huge variety of chordal tunings; its music was
consequently notated in tablature so the player would always know
where to put his fingers, whatever unlikely notes the strings were
tuned to" (Mark Levy). Most music for the lyra viol was somewhat
lighter in nature than music for the ‘normal’ viol. Although some
music Lawes wrote belongs to that category, like ‘Humor’ from the
Lyra viol trio in D,
Sample 3 Track 16 00:00
Even here Lawes breaks the rules by composing more
serious works as well. To compensate for the lack of music for lyra
viols by Lawes, Mark Levy has transcribed some of Lawes’ catches
for three lyra viols. They were originally composed for three male
voices to be sung in the tavern. The texts of these catches have
been lost, so this is the only way they can be performed, and they
do quite well in this form.
I have nothing but praise for this recording. This
is simply great music, reflecting a very strong and intriguing musical
personality. The ensemble playing is immaculate, the tone crisp
and clear, and the full dynamic range of the instruments is exploited.
The interpretation is dramatic where needed, or light-hearted when
the music asks for relaxation. Strongly recommended.
Johan van Veen
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CDTnº1 - W. LAWES
Consort
Sett a6 in F Major
CDTnº2 - W. LAWES
Consort
Sett a6 in F Major
CDTnº3 - W. LAWES
Consort
Sett a6 in F Major
CDTnº4 - W. LAWES
Consort
Sett a6 in F Major
CDTnº5 - W. LAWES
Lyra
viol trio in D Minor
CDTnº6 - W. LAWES
Lyra
viol trio in D Minor
CDTnº7 - W. LAWES
Lyra
viol trio in D Minor
CDTnº8 - W. LAWES
Catch
CDTnº9 - W. LAWES
Catch
CDTnº10 - W. LAWES
Consort
Sett a6 in G Minor
CDTnº11 - W. LAWES
Consort
Sett a6 in G Minor
CDTnº12 - W. LAWES
Consort
Sett a6 in G Minor
CDTnº13 - W. LAWES
Catch
CDTnº14 - W. LAWES
Catch
CDTnº15 - W. LAWES
Lyra
viol trio in D Major
CDTnº16 - W. LAWES
Lyra
viol trio in D Major
CDTnº17 - W. LAWES
Lyra
viol trio in D Major
CDTnº18 - W. LAWES
Consort
Sett a6 in B flat Major
CDTnº19 - W. LAWES
Consort
Sett a6 in B flat Major
CDTnº20 - W. LAWES
Consort
Sett a6 in B flat Major
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