Fairy figure, minstrel or holy virgin? Queen Elizabeth I used these role models as if in a masquerade to legitimise her position as ruler – after all, female rulers were not actually intended in the 16th century, they did not correspond to the image of women of the time. The so-called masques were a tried and tested means of packaging political statements in music – unfortunately very situational and therefore not written down in detail; tracing them requires intensive research. The musical repertoire of the masques was very broad: Records and reports indicate that both instrumental and vocal ensembles performed in various sizes and formations. With masque music by Byrd, Dowland, Morley, Parsons and others, ensemble feuervogel embarks on a journey of discovery and takes a musically highly diverse look behind royal masks and courtly facades.