Founded 1950 by Alfred Deller (Counter-tenor, 1912 - 1979) as conductor and soloist in a repertoire of early English music. From 1955 until 1979, they toured internationally, setting a high standard for authentic performance practices of Baroque music, ranging from Bach and Händel through John Blow, Henry Purcell and John Dowland.

In 1964, Deller's son, Mark Deller, joined the Deller Consort, also as a Counter-tenor. He lead the ensemble after his father's death in 1979 until its dissolution in 1986.