Album insights
In the spring of 1660, John Jenkins began his first courtly position when Charles II was reinstated as the English monarch. Born in 1592 as the son of a carpenter from Maidstone, Jenkins had spent most of his life on the outskirts of the English music scene, primarily working on remote estates in East Anglia. His late call to the court came as a lutenist for the Private Music group, a select ensemble tasked with supplying music to the king in his private chambers. Unlike most court musicians who played in large ensembles in the state rooms of Whitehall Palace, Jenkins belonged to a band of exceptional soloists within the Private Music that included singers, lutenists, viol players, keyboardists, a harpist, and two violinists.
During the early 1620s, violinists like Orlando Gibbons, Thomas Lupo, and John Coprario introduced the use of violins in contrapuntal chamber music. Coprario's 'Fantasy Suite' consisted of a three-movement sequence of contrapuntal fantasy and two dances, an Allemande and a Galliard, featuring two violins, a bass viol, and a small organ. Jenkins, heavily influenced by Coprario's work, composed numerous Fantasy Suites - about sixty are known - and expanded the form by introducing virtuosic passages and variations in later years. While the dating of Jenkins' suites proves challenging due to lack of printed publications, stylistic elements suggest they were likely composed in the early 1660s during Charles II's reign.
Jenkins is credited with further developing the Fantasy Suite form by introducing new score formats and exploring complex contrapuntal structures. His compositions, such as those for three violins and continuo, resemble Austrian and German sonatas of the mid-17th century. Notably, the instrumentation of three violins and continuo was introduced to England by the German violinist Thomas Baltzar, who made significant contributions to the music scene upon his arrival in London in the mid-1650s.
Apart from his suites featuring violins, Jenkins also created ensemble pieces for Lyra Viol that were challenging to date accurately. These compositions relied on a two-part music style where the gap between melody and bass was filled by a 'Continuo' group comprising Lyra Viol, theorbo, and harpsichord. These works showcased Jenkins' innovative use of the Lyra Viol and highlighted his incorporation of unique harmonies and structure variations.
In honor of what would have been John Jenkins' 400th birthday, the recording presented here is dedicated to Andrew Ashbee, a driving force behind the current resurgence of interest in this significant English composer.