Charles I was passionately fond of music and himself a skilled performer. As Prince of Wales he could count the composers Robert Johnson, Alfonso Ferrabosco and Angelo Notari among the many who flocked to his court and, when he came to the throne in 1625, he inherited around a hundred musicians from his father.

This recording brings together some of the wealth of music written for use both at Court functions and in the Royal 'Privy Chamber'.