THE CAMBRIDGE CONSORT, was an ensemble of two singers and three instrumentalists from the Camerata of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, dedicated to recreating the intimate and informal social music of old Europe's courts and villages. Performing on both historic instruments and faithful reconstructions - recorders, flutes, krummhorns, viols, and lute - The Cambridge Consort brought the music of the Middle Ages and Renaissance to life in a wide variety of textures and contexts. Troubadour melodies, bawdy German drinking songs, Elizabethan love songs, Italian 'frottole', instrumental fantasias and dances were presented not simply as historical curiosities, but as engaging and vital works of musical art.

THE CAMBRIDGE CONSORT gave lectures, seminars, and workshops in the performance of early music. In conjunction with its normal concert programs, the Consort's members, singly and in teams, gave lecture-demonstrations concerning their instruments, coached beginning and advanced singers and players, discussed problems of editing and interpreting older music, and organized informal ensemble sessions.

Members:

JANE BRYDEN, soprano

Bachelor's and Master's degree with honors from The New England Conservatory of Music. A recipient of the Erwin Bodky award in the performance of early music; solo performances with Cantata Singers, Cambridge Society for Early Music, and The Boston Camerata. Toured Spain and the Soviet Union under the auspices of the United States State Department.

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JOEL COHEN, director and lute

Master's from Harvard University and advanced study with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Director of Brandeis University Early Music Ensemble and Boston Camerata. Has taught and lectured at Sarah Lawrence University, Wellesley College, Brown University, Harvard University, and Bowdoin College. Numerous recitals, radio and television appearances, and recordings throughout the United States and France.

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FRANK HOFFMEISTER, tenor

Bachelor's degree from Ithaca College and Master's degree from New England Conservatory of Music. Formerly an instructor of voice at Harvard University, currently on the faculty of the University of Maine. Soloist with Handel and Haydn Society, Cambridge Society for Early Music, and Boston Camerata. Selected to perform at the Bath Festival, Bath, England, in 1971.

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GIAN LYMAN, viola da gamba

Degree in composition from McGill University, gamba studies with Barbara Mueser and August Wenzinger. Former faculty member of McGill University, presently on the faculty of the Longy School of Music and the Museum of Fine Arts. Member of the Incredible Viol Consort, The Nonesuch Consort, and Boston Camerata. Recordings for Turnabout, Harmonium Mundi, and Nonesuch.

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FRIEDRICH VON HUENE, recorder, flute, krummhorn

A native of Germany, graduate of Bowdoin College. Former faculty member of Brandeis University and the Longy School of Music. One of America's finest recorder players and a historical woodwind maker of international reputation.