Henry Purcell
As England's greatest composer of the Baroque, Henry Purcell was dubbed the "Orpheus Britannicus" for his ability to combine pungent English counterpoint with expressive, flexible, and dramatic word settings. While he did write instrumental music, including the important viol fantasias, the vast majority of his output was in the vocal/choral realm. His only opera, Dido and Aeneas, divulged his sheer mastery in the handling of the work's vast expressive canvas, which included lively dance numbers, passionate arias and rollicking choruses. Purcell also wrote much incidental music for stage productions, including that for Dryden's King Arthur. His church music includes many anthems, devotional songs, and other sacred works, but few items for Anglican services.
Purcell was born in 1659 to Henry Purcell, master of choristers at Westminster Abbey, and his wife Elizabeth. When he was five, his father died, forcing his mother to resettle the family of six children into a more modest house and lifestyle. In about 1668, Purcell became a chorister in the Chapel Royal, studying under chorus master Henry Cooke. He also took keyboard lessons from Christopher Gibbons, son of the composer Orlando Gibbons, and it is likely that he studied with John Blow and Matthew Locke. In 1673, Purcell was appointed assistant to John Hingeston, the royal instrument keeper.
On September 10, 1677, Purcell was given the Court position of composer-in-ordinary for the violins. It is believed that many of his church works date from this time. Purcell, a great keyboard virtuoso by his late teens, received a second important post in 1679, this one succeeding Blow as organist at Westminster Abbey, a position he would retain all his life. That same year saw the publication of five of the young composer's songs in John Playford's Choice Ayres and Songs to Sing to the Theorbo-lute or Bass-viol. Around the same time, he began writing anthems with string accompaniment, completing over a dozen before 1685, and welcome songs. Purcell was appointed one of three organists at the Chapel Royal in the summer of 1682, his most prestigious post yet.
Purcell composed his first ode for St. Cecilia's Day in 1683. The following month, upon Hingeston's death, he was named royal instrument keeper while retaining his other posts. The composer remained quite prolific in the middle part of the decade, primarily producing music for royal occasions. In 1685 the new King, James II, introduced many changes at Court, one of which was to make Purcell the Court harpsichordist and Blow the Court composer. Near the end of 1687, Queen Mary's pregnancy was announced and Purcell was commissioned to compose an anthem with the text of Psalm 128, Blessed are they that fear the Lord. Many other of his anthems appeared in 1688, as did one of his more famous ones for church use, O sing unto the Lord.
With the ascension of William and Mary to the throne on April 11, 1689, Purcell retained his post as royal instrument keeper, and he, along with Blow and Alexander Damazene, shared the duties of Court composers. With his royal duties reduced, he was able to pursue other opportunities, including teaching and writing for other organizations. One of Purcell's greatest successes came in 1689 with the production of Dido and Aeneas. He then collaborated with John Dryden on King Arthur in 1691, and also composed the music for The Fairy-Queen (1692), based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream both productions also scoring triumphs. In the final year of his life Purcell remained exceedingly busy, writing much for the stage, including The Indian Queen, left incomplete at his death on November 21, 1695.
© Robert Cummings /TiVo
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Purcell: King Arthur, 1691
Gabrieli Consort, Paul McCreesh
Clásica - Editado por Signum Records el 25 oct. 2019
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Fairy Queen
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Clásica - Editado por CORO el 1 jul. 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gustav Leonhardt - A Portrait
Gustav Leonhardt, Henry Purcell, François Couperin
Clásica - Editado por UME - Global Clearing House el 2 sep. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Abdelazer (Suites by Henry Purcell After the Tragedy by Aphra Behn, Arr. for Narrator and Orchestra)
John Holloway, Orchester Le Phénix, Henry Purcell
Clásica - Editado por Coviello Classics el 1 feb. 2012
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Abdelazer: Suites by Henry Purcell after the Tragedy by Aphra Behn (Suiten von Henry Purcell nach der Tragödie von Aphra Behn, arr. für Sprecher und Orchester)
Linard Bardill, Orchester Le Phénix, Henry Purcell
Música sinfónica - Editado por Coviello Classics el 1 feb. 2012
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Come All Ye Songsters
Clásica - Editado por Wigmore Hall Live el 15 jun. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Power of Purcell
Clásica - Editado por UME - Global Clearing House el 11 jun. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
19 September 2022 - Funeral Music - HM Queen Elizabeth II
Johann Sebastian Bach, Edward Elgar, Henry Purcell
Clásica - Editado por UME - Global Clearing House el 20 sep. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Devotion: Sacred and Secular Songs by Henry Purcell
Julia Doyle, Ensemble Unmeasured
Clásica - Editado por Deux-Elles Limited el 11 oct. 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Purcell: The Fairy Queen
Clásica - Editado por Deux-Elles Limited el 10 jul. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Purcell: Excerpts from The Fairy Queen; Odes and Elegies for Queen Mary
New York Ensemble for Early Music's Grande Bande
Clásica - Editado por Musical Heritage Society el 10 abr. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Henry Purcell - Sacred Music
Canterbury Cathedral Girls’ Choir
Clásica - Editado por Dean and Chapter of Canterbury el 6 mar. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Purcell: The Fairy Queen (Pinchgut Opera)
Ópera - Editado por ABC Classic el 15 oct. 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The History of Opera (100 Famous Songs)
Ópera - Editado por Dream Collection el 14 abr. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
100 Must-Have History of Classical Music
Clásica - Editado por Cobra Entertainment LLC el 3 jun. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary - March (Epic Brass Version)
Newsic, Henry Purcell, Mascoulisse Quartet
Clásica - Editado por BIG Music Classic el 31 oct. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The History of Baroque Era Music (100 Famous Songs)
Clásica - Editado por Dream Collection el 8 abr. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Purcell: Verse Anthems
Edward Higginbottom, Choir of New College Oxford
Clásica - Editado por CRD Records el 1 ene. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
From Rosy Bow'rs
Clásica - Editado por Albany Records el 1 ene. 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dido & Aeneas and A Midsummernight's Dream Suite
Clásica - Editado por Lyrichord Early Music Series el 17 jul. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Carousel: Festive Baroque Music for Three Trumpets & Organ
La Réjouissance (Three Trumpets & Organ)
Clásica - Editado por OxRecs DIGITAL el 9 sep. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo