Henry Purcell Viol Fantasias (London, 1680) CONSORT LES VOIX HUMAINES Margaret Little • Susie Napper • Felix Deak • Arnaud Leroy Elin Söderström • Marie-Laurence Primeau • Mélisande Corriveau ACD2 2591 • In the summer of 1680, Henry Purcell was 20 years old.   He had already been composer-in-ordinary of the King's violins for three years, and organist at Westminster cathedral for two.   It was at this time that he wrote out a set of 15 fantasias and In nomines for consorts of three to seven viols, in what Westrup describes as “a fever-heat of enthusiasm and inspiration.”   This was the height of The Restoration, and Charles II was leading the demand for more “modern” music such as he had heard in exile at the court of Louis XIV; in particular, violins were displacing viols in the royal favour.   Despite this, in his fantasias Purcell penetrated all the mysteries of the old style, and created music with an unprecedented degree of complexity but without a hint of the academic.   In the words of André Mangeot, the fantasias are “of astonishing beauty.” • Les Voix humaines are perhaps the core of the ATMA Classique catalogue.   The viola da gamba-based chamber ensemble varies from gamba duo (Margaret Little and Susie Napper) to consort of viols, to mixed-instrument ensemble.   Les Voix humaines more than twenty ATMA Classique recordings have received critical acclaim including Diapason d'Or, Choc du Monde de la Musique, Repertoire-Classica 10, Goldberg 5, Classics Today 10/10, and Prix Opus. • For this recording, Les Voix humaines uses the Hart House Viols.   This collection of diverse 17th and 18th century instruments has been at the University of Toronto since the 1930s.   They were restored to playing condition for this project, the first professional recording on these instruments. • Produced, recorded and edited by Johanne Goyette at the Church of Saint-Augustin de Mirabel (Québec), Canada, 12, 13 and 14 November, 2008.   1. Fantasia I à 3 en ré mineur | d minor Z. 732   [ 2:49 ]   2. Fantasia II à 3 en fa majeur | F major Z. 733   [ 2:38 ]   3. Fantasia III à 3 en sol mineur | g minor Z. 734   [ 2:28 ]   4. Fantasia IV à 4 en sol mineur | g minor Z. 735   [ 3:16 ]   5. Fantasia V à 4 si bémol majeur [ Bb major Z. 736   [ 3:49 ]   6. Fantasia VI à 4 en fa majeur | F major Z. 737   [ 3:10 ]   7. Fantasia VII à 4 en do mineur | c minor Z. 738   [ 4:03 ]   8. Fantasia VIII à 4 en ré mineur | d minor Z. 739   [ 3:25 ]   9. Fantasia IX à 4 en la mineur | a minor Z. 740   [ 3:11 ] 10. Fantasia X à 4 en mi mineur | e minor Z. 741   [ 3:11 ] 11. Fantasia XI à 4 en sol majeur | G major Z. 742   [ 2:55 ] 12. Fantasia XII à 4 en ré mineur | d minor Z. 743   [ 2:50 ] 13. Fantasia XIII à 4 en la mineur | a minor Z. 744   [ 3:16 ]       TERMINÉ PAR | COMPLETED BY MATTHIAS MAUTE (MONTRÉAL) 14. Fantasia upon one note à 5 en fa majeur | F major Z. 745   [ 2:29 ] 15. In nomine à 6 en sol mineur | g minor Z. 746   [ 1:33 ] 16. In nomine à 7 en sol mineur dorien | g minor Dorian Z. 747   [ 2:18 ] 17. Dance for the Green Men :: Monkey's Dance (The Fairy Queen)   [ 4:02 ] 18. Dido's Lament (Dido & Aeneas)   [ 2:47 ] ATMA Classique is distributed in Australia by Rockian Trading PO Box 44, Briar Hill, Vic, 3088, Australia Telephone +61 (0)3 9432 4149 ~ Facsimile +61 (0)3 9444 6879