Editing Consort of instruments (section)

{{Short description|16/17th-century English phrase for a musical ensemble}}
[[File:The Smithsonian Consort of Viols.jpg|thumb|right|310px|The Smithsonian Consort of Viols]]
A '''consort of instruments''' was a phrase used in [[England]] during the 16th and 17th centuries to indicate an [[instrumental ensemble]]. These could consist of the same or a variety of instruments. Consort music enjoyed considerable popularity at court and in the households of the wealthy in the [[Elizabethan era]], and many pieces were written for consorts by the major composers of the period. In the [[Baroque music|Baroque]] era, consort music was absorbed into [[chamber music]].