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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Music for a While for viola and guitar
Henry Purcell, David Warin Solomon
Alternative en Indie - Released by dwschorale on 16 mrt. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Henry Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
The Stuart Chamber Orchestra of London
Klassiek - Released by Period Records on 9 jul. 1951
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sergiu Celibidache: Berlin 1945
Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin, Sergiù Celibidache, Berliner Philharmoniker
Klassiek - Released by Intermusic S.A. on 5 nov. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classical Music Travel Guide: London
Klassiek - Released by Dream Collection on 22 jul. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sing unto the Lord
Stockholm Chamber Choir, Johann Sebastian Bach, Henry Purcell, Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble, Anders-Per Jonsson
Klassiek - Released by Proprius on 1 jan. 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Capriccio. Piano Works by Bach & Ravel
Irene Cantos, Johann Sebastian Bach, Maurice Ravel, Henry Purcell, Claude Debussy, Erik Satie
Klassiek - Released by Novus Promusica on 12 mrt. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Welcome Song - Swifter, Isis, swifter flow, Z. 336: Symphony / Swifter, Isis, swifter flow
Klassiek - Released by The Sixteen Productions Ltd. on 14 mei 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Dido's lament (When I am laid in earth) arranged for alto flute and guitar
Alternative en Indie - Released by dwschorale on 9 mrt. 2019
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Dido's lament (When I am laid in earth) for viola and guitar
Alternative en Indie - Released by dwschorale on 9 mrt. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dido's lament (When I am laid in earth) for violin and guitar
Alternative en Indie - Released by dwschorale on 9 mrt. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
From Silent Shades and the Elysian Groves, Z.370
Klassiek - Released by CORO on 2 aug. 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rascher International
Klassiek - Released by Albany Records on 1 mei 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Purcell: Dido and Aeneas, Z.626
Academy of the Begynhof, Amsterdam
Klassiek - Released by Globe on 1 jul. 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Notes from the Asylum
Clare McCaldin, Libby Burgess, Catriona Scott
Vocale muziek (wereldlijk en religieus) - Released by Champs Hill Records on 1 apr. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Purcell: Dido and Aeneas, Opera Suite (Digitally Remastered)
Vladimir Kalashnikov Chamber Orchestra, Vladimir Kalashnikov
Opera - Released by EMG Classical on 28 okt. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Purcell: Suite No. 5 for Harpsichord in C Major, Z. 666 (Digitally Remastered)
Klassiek - Released by EMG Classical on 28 okt. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tuileries. Piano Works by Bach, Bartok & Mussorsgky
Irene Cantos, Johann Sebastian Bach, Béla Bartók, Modeste Moussorgski, Henry Purcell
Klassiek - Released by Novus Promusica on 19 mrt. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cosmic Classical: Virgo
Antonín Dvořák, Gustav Holst, Henry Purcell
Lounge - Released by PMI Collins Classics on 17 aug. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Global Transcendence: Sacred World Harmony and Chant [Live EP]
Klassiek - Released by Chicago a Cappella Records on 24 nov. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
2012 American Choral Directors Association, Western Division (ACDA): Vox Femina Los Angeles & Women's Honor Choir
Koormuziek - Released by Mark Records on 1 apr. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Funeral Of Queen Mary March from "A Clockwork Orange"
Gonzalo Schafer Canobra, Henry Purcell
Electronic - Released by Default on 26 apr. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo