
James Hamilton, Ear of Arran
So what kind of instrument might the elegant young man play? If he were in Italy, he might play the lute, his legs delicately crossed in front.
In England, however, the lute shared its popularity with the viol. The viol, as an instrument, has long vanished from the repertoire of the current elegant young man about town – now, he’s more likely to play his iPhone rather than an instrument – but in the 17th century, being a musician was an important skill. As was detailed in Castiglione’s monumental work The Book of the Courtier, the courtier is described as having a cool mind, speaks in a good voice with beautiful and elegant words; he must have proper bearing and use appropriate gestures. The courtier is also expected to have a warrior spirit, to be athletic, and have good knowledge of the humanities, classics and fine arts. And this would include, of course, knowledge of music.

Meissonier – Pasquale

Breughel and Rubens: “Hearing” from “The Five Senses” detail (1618)
English composers such as Dowland and Purcell, and, later, Lawes and Jenkins all wrote for viol consort, often in 3- or 4-movement suites.
Lawes: Consort Set a 5 in C Major, II: Pavan

The Smithsonian Consort of Viols
Matthew Locke: The Broken Consort, Part I: No. 4. Suite in C Major, IV. Saraband
The viol has vanished, replaced by the modern violin and viola, who, with only 4 strings and a louder sound, are very different than this earlier instrument.