Edward, Lord Herbert of Cherbury, is one of the most extraordinary figures of 17th century English life- brother of the poet George Herbert, but in his own right a diplomat, soldier, courtier, philosopher, poet, historian and musician, as well as being the author of one of the earliest and most entertaining autobiographies in English. His lute book, preserved in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, is among the most important sources of English and Continental instrumental music of this period. Almost all the major English lute composers of the era are represented, while the large number of works by Continental composers is probably a consequence of Lord Herbert’s extensive travels throughout Europe. The book also contains extraordinary and otherwise unknown works by Cuthbert Hely and Lord Herbert himself, a last echo of English lute music’s “Golden Age.” It is from this book that the pieces on this release are taken and performed by Martin Eastwell.

Situated on the intersection between two major mediaeval trade routes, Leipzig became one of the most important cultural cities in Europe, famous for its music and publishing houses. Many great composers flourished writing for its churches, publishers and musical amateurs, and this piano recital illustrates what a rich diversity of music was born here. Eleanor Meynell won a scholarship to Chetham’s School of Music at the age of 11 where she studied with Heather Slade Lipkin and Ryzsard Bakst. During her time there she was a prize-winner in several national and international competitions and won Bromsgrove Young Musician of the Year at the age of 15. She also was awarded both ARCM and LGSM diplomas while still at school. Eleanor has broadcast as a soloist and chamber musician on BBC Radio 3, Classic FM and Radio Belfast, and is currently on the staff at Trinity Laban College of Music and Goldsmiths College where she accompanies and coaches. As well as singing in the Monteverdi Choir, she also plays for auditions and masterclasses for John Eliot Gardiner and is a mentor on the apprenticeship scene.

Saint-Saens Fantasie Op. 124 for violin and harp stands alone in the repertoire. In planning recital programmes it is good to be able to include music from a range of styles, so Marianne and Clara Eissler, the dedicatees of the Fantasie, offered the possibility of finding a repertoire from an earlier age. Musical historians tell us very little about them, but in their day, they were celebrated performers, known and loved by people all over Europe. Uncovering their lives and the music they played has been largely a matter of searching newspaper reports. They lived at a time of great wealth and great houses, of railway travel, of life lived in public, of news widely disseminated and repeated. The music they played is essentially Victorian, but the titles and associations hide music that has its own charm. This was an age when a large and diverse audience listened to and enjoyed classical music, and when the aristocratic element of that audience was well educated in music and supported and enabled its performance. The story of the Eisslers is also a story of women fighting to build careers as independent women at a time when most careers were cut short by marriage.