Deller Consort, Alfred Deller

It would be difficult to overstate the role of the Deller Consort in the early music revival, particularly that of the English repertoire, though it has also enjoyed great success in Italian music. Founded by countertenor Alfred Deller in 1948, it was instrumental in popularizing not only early music, but authentic performance practices. In many ways, it set the standard for the plethora of ensembles that started after it had prepared the ground. Deller was the twentieth century's first celebrity countertenor and just beginning his own career when he founded the ensemble almos...