All the King's Men
Music from the courts of Charles I & II

Charles I was King of England from 1625 until his execution in 1649. After the Wars of The Three Kingdoms there followed an interregnum, until the period known as The Restoration, which began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II. This programme features composers who lived under and worked for both kings.
John Cooper (who later became Giovanni Coperario) was a composer, viol player and lutenist who served Charles I. Coperario taught William Lawes, and presumably also knew John Jenkins, the earliest record of whom is amongst the musicians who performed the masque The Triumph of Peace at court in 1634. Matthew Locke was Composer in Ordinary to Charles II, and organist of the chapel of Her Majesty Catherine of Braganza, Charles II’s Portuguese wife. Locke also served King Charles as Composer of the Wind Music, and Composer for the Violins, in which post he was succeeded by Henry Purcell.
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This programme can be for four or five viols.