News

Below you will find links to news and events from our website as well as from the wider recorder playing community. We will happily help to promote any event or news you have, so do let us know about what is going on…. where ever you might be, be it Southampton or South Carolina!

If you would like to preview the latest content we have available, it is on a separate page, so click on the button below.

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Consorts News

Events

News from Consorts

In this section, you will find information about new pieces, articles or other things which might be of interest on our site…

Clips posted to social media Christmas 2021...

Mozart - Overture 'Die Zauberflöte'

A constant favourite with audiences, Mozart’s iconic overture is a truly brilliant piece of writing. Our arrangement is for 6 recorders from descant to contrabass. 

Jan 2021.

The Castleton Carol - Down in Yon Forest

Originally posted to Instagram Christmas 21.

A Christmas gift to all our subscribers for Christmas 2021. This arrangement of a traditional English carol uses 6 different sized recorders and is not too difficult to play. It is a ‘free sample’ so is available to all subscribers. 

 

Advent Candle 4

Originally posted to Instagram December 21.

The final event Candle is by far the most complex of Victor Eijkhout’s Advent pieces. It is scored for Descant Tenor and Great Bass recorders. 

 

Bartok - Romanian Carols

Originally posted to Instagram December 21.

This is the Premium content for Christmas 21. The carols were collect by Bartok in the early years of the 20th century and written into a work for piano. We have arranged it for 5 recorders : descant, treble, tenor, bass and contra.

 

Advent Candle 3

Originally posted to Instagram December 21.

The third of four Advent pieces and the run up to Christmas. Candle 3 is for Tenor Bass and Great Bass recorders. 

 

Charpentier - Joseph est bien marié

Originally posted to Instagram Christmas 21.

 The best known of the Noels pour les Instruments. This arrangement is exclusive to Consorts and use 7 recorders, 2 descants, treble, tenor, 2 basses and Contra.

 

Advent Candle 2

Originally posted to Instagram December 21.

Candle 2 is the second of the four devotional pieces by Victor Eijkhout. This one is for 2 tenors and bass. 

 

Charpentier - Or dites-nous Marie

Originally posted to Instagram December 21.

Christmas Music by Charpentier. One of six movements which make up the Noels pour les Instruments. Our arrangement uses 7 recorders… 2 descants, treble, tenor, 2 basses and Contra.

 

Advent Candle 1

Originally posted to Instagram Autumn 21.

This works very well for the recorder which has a similar range to the Oboe. The 3 string parts get spread across 4 recorders in order to cope with the much larger range.

 

Clips posted to social media Autumn 2021...

Mozart Oboe Quartet

Originally posted to Instagram Autumn 21.

This works very well for the recorder which has a similar range to the Oboe. The 3 string parts get spread across 4 recorders in order to cope with the much larger range.

 

Rigaudon form Tombeau de Couperin

Originally on Instagram in August 21…. 

We have post 5 of the 6 movements from the suite in a brand new arrangement for 7 recorders.

 

G. F. Handel - Arrival of the Queen of Sheba

Originally posted to Instagram Summer 21.

A favourite with everyone and actually not too difficult either. Arrange for 2 Trebles, Tenor Bass and Contra.

 

Open Weekend August 28th-30th.

To celebrate the first anniversary of Consorts, we will once again be hosting a free ‘open weekend’ when all our content will be available to everyone.

You will be able to add a ‘weekend pass’ to your subscription, which will unlock both standard and premium content and start the clock for 48 hours free access. You can do this late Friday evening 29th August (UK time) to late Monday evening 30th August. 

Just go to your dashboard (the page that opens when you login or register) and add the weekend plan to your current standard or free samples plan.

T-4-2 Youmans (arr Garner)

Three and a half minutes of bright, shiny fun! This new arrangement of an old favourite is now available on Consorts Premium. The aim is to create the same multitude of colours which Shostakovich managed in his version ‘Tahiti Trot’ but with 7 recorders instead of an orchestra. Enjoy!

posted 15th May.

Video Clips posted to social media around Easter....

Gavotte by P. F. Caroubel

If you like renaissance dance music, you will love the Gavottes we have posted…. They come from the Terpsichore – a collection by various composers and published by Michael Praetorius. These pieces are very easy to play, so suitable to the least experienced players as well as more accomplished ones! Arranged for a double quintet of large and smaller instruments.

posted 15th May.

Di sei Bassi - Alfonso Ferrabosco (the elder)

If you play the bass,  you will love this… a piece for sei bassi or six basses (actually five basses and 1 great bass)! Originally written for bass viols, it actually works very well on bass recorders. It sounds quite static because all 6 parts are constrained within the 2 octave range, but once you start playing it, each part will come to life and the whole piece makes more sense.

posted 15th May.

Sonatine by Béla Bartók

This exclusive arrangement for 5 recorders is available on Consorts Premium. It was originally written for piano and consists of three movements. It is subtitled 3 Romanian Folk Pieces and is based on the music collected by Béla Bartók himself. The middle movement is very short and this clip plays it in its entirety!

posted 15th May.

Johanne Schmelzer SPCM Sonata 3

This early baroque Sonata from Austrian composer Schmelzer, is for seven recorders. It is from the SPCM collection (Sacro-profanus concentus musicus). Do check out  Sonata No 1 (for 8 recorders) also from the same collection…!

posted 15th May.

Brook Green Suite Gustav Holst

An exclusive for the Premium subscribers… this brand new arrangement of the whole suite is for six recorders from descant to Contrabass. The excerpt here is from the second movement, labelled Air.

posted 15th May.

Video Clips posted to social media from the March offering... (posted here very late!)

Sonata Op3 No 1 by J. M. Hotteterre

Lovely French baroque music for 2 trebles and a bass and not too difficult either! This except is from the closing Gigue and is by far the quickest movement of the piece. 

posted 15th May.

W.A. Mozart Quartet K155

This is an exclusive arrangement for 5 recorders for Consorts Premium…. and like all Mozart, is a joy to play!  

posted 15th May.

Sonata No 1. J.B. Loeillet de Gant

An excerpt from the first movement of this sonata for 2 trebles. It is beautifully written and not too difficult either. It is the first of a set of six…. the others will follow in coming months.

posted 15th May.

Galliard by Anthony Holborne

This is No40 in our series to record all the piece in the book of 65 published by Holborne. Like all the others… this is a lovely little piece to play and not to tricky either, so suitable for everyone. regardless of experience.

posted 15th May.

Paduana No18 by William Brade

William Brade was an English renaissance composer, but actually lived and worked in Germany. He wrote lots of instrumental music including this lovely Paduana. Do check out the Paduana No8 as well which is also in the consorts library.

posted 15th May.

Quartet No 9 by John Hawkes

A new arrangement of an old favourite…. and its in the Samples list so its free for everyone to play!

posted 15th May.

Social Media Clips from our Christmas Offerings...

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

A new arrangement of an old favourite…. and its in the Samples list so its free for everyone to play!

posted 24th December.

Sören Sieg's Siku silo Mali

This piece is from the 15th African suite – Wakati njema and the title means ‘The Day is not far’. It is full of the great optimism which is so characteristic of African music and is great fun to play.

posted 23rd December.

Gaudette

Gaudette is one of the oldest carols we know, having first appeared in written from in the Piae Cantiones in renaissance times…. but it is almost certainly medieval in origin. This is a bespoke arrangement specially for Consorts.co.uk and is for 8 instruments ranging from descant to Contrabass. 

posted 22nd December

A New Composer on Consorts....

We are delighted to announce that Sören Seig has joined the group of composers showcasing some of their work on the Consorts site. This hauntingly beautiful Valse trust is from Sören’s Suite Grotesque and is available as part of the new premium content.

posted 21st December.

Special Guest Appearance

Sarah Jeffery has recorded the Samartini Recorder Concerto as soloist on Consorts.co.uk. As part of the launch celebrations for the premium level, Sarah agreed to be our first special guest and premier a new arrangement for Descant Soloist and quartet of Treble, Tenor, Bass and Contra.

posted 28th November

Suite Pastorale

Over the coming months we are delighted to be showcasing a number of works by composer John Hawkes. John is a keen recorder player as well as being a very active composer with a distinctive style. John’s Suite Pastorals is not too difficult and has a style and harmonic idiom which is quite unique.

posted 28th November

Christmas Concerto by Corelli

Perhaps his best known piece… the Concerto Grosso in G minor is a masterpiece of the middleIItalian baroque. It runs to nearly 17 minutes and we have the whole concerto available.

posted 28th November

Gustav Holst's - Christmas Day

Christmas Day is a fantasy of Christmas Carols well known and not so well known. The piece is a new arrangement of a piece originally for choir and orchestra… but it works very well for 10 recorders….

posted 28th November

New Quartet arrangement of the Telemann Treble Sonata in C

This Sonata by Telemann is one the popular solo pieces for Treble recorder. In our exclusive arrangement, we have substituted the continuo harpsichord and ‘Cello/Viola da Gamba with 3 other recorders and made a feature of the parts to create a homogenous quartet.

posted 27th November

Stephen Watkins joins Consorts...

We are please to announce that Stephen Watkins has joined Consorts and over the coming months we hope to show case a number of Stephens pieces.

This month we start with the Basllet Suite including this comical little Cancan called ‘Orhpeus on the District Line’.

posted 27th November

Premium Content Launch...

To celebrate Advent, the start of the Christmas season and the holiday weekend in the States, we are launching a new level to our service. To celebrate this, we will once again to be hosting a free weekend pass for anyone/everyone. This will include this new level with lots of interesting and stimulating content….

Premium Content includes more new content which in either specially commissioned bespoke arrangements or pieces by modern composers. Clearly, this content needs to be paid for, hence the slightly higher subscription price.  Premium subscriptions will be priced at £6.99 per month and will provide access to all the standard content as well as this new content. More follow in the coming days!

New for November....

This Mozart Divertimento has four movements, the first is quick in sonata form, the second slow, the third a Minuet and the last a Rondo. Arranged for 5 recorders it is typical Mozart – refined and cultured…. and very rewarding to play!

posted 3 Nov 2020.

 

The Terpsichore is a large collection of renaissance dance music. We are starting this sequence with 6 Bransles by Caroubel. They each have 5 parts, are easy pieces to read and great fun to play, so ideal for those who are less experienced players and who want to develop their independent playing skills..

posted 2 Nov 2020.s

 

Georg Phillip Telemann is one of the great composers of the high baroque and he wrote lots of fabulous instrumental music. This Sonata (no 3 in F, is one of a set of six written for either 2 violins or 2 recorders. In four mvts., it has a few tricky passages as Telemann is always willing to use the full range of the instrument, but it is mostly only moderately difficult.

posted 1 Nov 2020

New for October....

John Ward is an Elizabethan composer who wrote lots of lovely consort music. This Fantasia is for 5 instruments including 2 descants, treble, tenor and bass. It is a lovely piece which unusually visits quite a number of obscure keys, albeit fleetingly.

posted 5 Oct 2020

 

Our top pick for October…. Henry Purcell’s wonderful Chaconne, Three parts upon a Ground. This one of the big piece for recorder consort… a must for all keen players!

posted 4 Oct 2020

Today we have posted 7 new pieces. We will preview them all in the coming week. The first is Giovasnni Gabrieli’s Canzon No.1 La Spritata. 

 

posted 1 Oct 2020

 

Consorts is Live...

Brownings is a set of variations on the ancient song ‘The Leaves be Green’. Byrd produces some wonderful music and intricate variations in this much loved renaissance piece.

Join us today for free access as part of our launch.

 

posted 29 Aug 2020

 

Tomorrows the day...!

The Danserye is probably one of the best known sets of renaissance dance pieces… famously made popular by the wonderful David Munrow some 50 years ago!

Join us this weekend for free access as part of our launch.

posted 28 Aug 2020

Two to go...!

The Romanian Dances are probably some of Bela Bartok’s best known music and great fun to play .

Join us this weekend for free access as part of our launch.

 

posted 27 Aug 2020

 

Only 3 days to wait!

Telemann Sonata in F is normally a solo piece for Treble and continuo…. in this arrangement, you can play it as part of a recorder quartet of treble, 2 tenors and bass.

Join us this weekend for free access as part of our launch.

posted 26 Aug 2020

Live in 4 days

Today’s 30 seconds taster is by Henry Purcell – the Chaconne from Dioclesians…. arranged for 2 trebles, 3 basses and a contra.  Come and lay it for yourself from this weekend.


posted 25 Aug 2020


Events

This section will list any interesting upcoming events we have spotted… however, do not rely on us to spot everything… if you would like us to add a post about your upcoming event together with a link… then do let us know and we will do our best to add it.

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