Joel Spears has long wanted to celebrate and perform the music of brothers William and Henry Lawes, English composers of the 17th century. So Spears, artistic director of the Early Music Series in Grayslake, created a concert with just the right performers to celebrate these brother composers.
Called The Lawes Brothers, the concert is set for Feb. 16 at the Byron Colby Barn in Grayslake.
“It’s repertoire I’ve wanted to play for a very long time at the barn,” Spears said.
William Lawes was a revered court composer and Henry Lawes was praised by famous poet John Milton as the first English composer whose music could rival the revered compositions written by Italians at the time.
The Colby Barn concert will feature harp consorts William composed for violin, harp, viol and theorbo, a type of lute. That combination of early music instruments makes for a heavenly sound, Spears said.
The program will also include songs written by Henry for a tenor voice and basso continuo.
Performers at the concert include tenor Ryan Townsend Strand, violinist Martin Davids, harpist Claire Happel Ashe, viol player Philip Serna, and Spears who plays theorbo.
“I try to schedule programs that have a good story behind them,” Spears said. “This particular concert tells the story of two brothers who lived during a tumultuous time in English history. They were leading English composers of their generation. Both found work at the court under King Charles I, who turned out to be a tyrant and got executed. He had a very big ego, and didn’t handle criticism easily.”
When Civil War broke out, William joined the side of the king and was killed, Spears said. His older brother did not go to war and survived.
What makes the story so ironic is that though Charles was a terrible ruler, he was a great patron of the arts, including music. Spears said. After his execution, Oliver Cromwell took over — and he did not support cultural pursuits.
William Lawes wrote his harp consorts during the reign of Charles. “It’s rare music that doesn’t get played much,” Spears said. “It has a unique sound that is just fetching the way that it’s performed. It’s done in an elegant way. It’s like nothing I’ve ever heard combining the violin and the harp and at the same time the viol is playing these virtuosic running passages while theorbo is anchoring the whole thing,” he said. “This is really fantastic, stylish, courtly music.”
Some of the pieces are dance movements. Others are written in fugue-style and others are variations on songs, he said.
The harp is not like the modern ones you see in orchestras. “It’s a period harp with a much different sound and no pedals. Claire, our harpist will use an Italian triple harp that we’re confident was performed at the court,” Spears said.
The harp has a light sound that blends well with the other instruments, including theorbo, which William Lawes played during performances for the court.
Interwoven among the harp consorts will be songs written by William’s brother Henry. With William dead and a new reigning king, it likely was a difficult time for Henry Lawes. The period of Oliver Cromwell put an end to public music-making. “All theaters were closed,” Spears added.
Though Henry wrote music throughout his life, it was difficult to make a living as a composer during Cromwell’s rule, he said. When a new monarch took over, Henry’s career flowered once again.
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The songs Henry Lawes wrote are for a soloist with accompaniment by lute, theorbo or bass viol, Spears said. “The text is readily comprehensible, easy to understand. A lot of the songs we are doing are theater music. Some of them are a bit bawdy. Some are more philosophical and introspective,” he said.
Lawes was praised for being able to take text written by poets in the English language that would sound as beautiful as those written in Italian, Spears said.
Throughout the performance, the musicians will talk about the composers and the history of the times.
“Our audience loves that,” Spears said. “They ask questions and that’s fine. The barn concert is almost like a big party in someone’s living room and it’s meant to be like that. It’s mean to be accessible and we want people to be engaged.” The audience is welcome to bring snacks and alcoholic beverages such as wine and beer.
“The Lawes Brothers” concert will also be performed at Valparaiso University and other venues.
“When we put programs like this together, we want to perform it as many times as we can,” Spears said.
The Lawes Brothers
When: 4 p.m. Feb. 16
Location: Byron Colby Barn, 1561 Jones Point Road, Grayslake
Tickets: $20 cash or check
Information: 847-543-1202; byroncolbybarn.com/early-music-series
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.