Composer
Henry Purcell
English composer (1659–1695)
1659–1695
1,568 works and musical collections
- Born
- 1659
- Died
- 1695
- Birthplace
- Westminster
- Place of death
- Westminster
- Citizenship / historical state
- Kingdom of England
- Period (estimated from birth year)
- Baroque
Biography
Purcell is the last great English composer before the twentieth century and wrote for a world of theatre music, court odes and church anthems that no longer exists, which makes the practical repertoire smaller than the catalogue suggests.
What singers actually use are the songs and the Dido and Aeneas arias, and 'When I am laid in earth' is one of the most-performed pieces in this index. Keyboard players have the harpsichord suites and the grounds, several of which are accessible early. Choirs have the anthems and the funeral music.
His notation leaves ornaments and continuo to convention even more than his continental contemporaries, so editions differ substantially. For the songs in particular, a realised edition with a written-out keyboard part is worth having unless you are able to play from a figured bass.
Life and musical career
- Occupations
- composer; organist; musicologist; music theorist; author
- Education
- Westminster School
- Teachers
- Pelham Humfrey; John Blow; Henry Cooke; Matthew Locke
- Instruments played
- pipe organ; harpsichord
- Movements
- Baroque music
- Notable works
- Dido and Aeneas; Who can from joy refrain?; The Fairy-Queen; Hail, bright Cecilia; I attempt from Love's sickness to fly; Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts; Abdelazer Suite
- Official website
- http://www.henrypurcell.org.uk
- Languages used
- English
- VIAF ID
- 5118737
- ISNI
- 0000000121188274
- GND ID
- 118742973
- Library of Congress ID
- n79095298
- MusicBrainz ID
- ddea5540-2c7d-4266-8507-b367c2635d35
Recorded in Wikidata. Affiliations may refer to earlier stages of the composer's career.
In this catalogue
- Common listed instruments
- Voice, Piano, harpsichord, Organ, Choir
- Genres represented
- Classical, pop, Baroque, Pop, Latin
- Source entries with composition dates
- 12
These details describe the indexed sheet music, including arrangements.
Catalogue
Sheet music catalogue page 33 of 33
Instruments describe listed editions, including arrangements. Composition dates and keys appear where recorded; collection pages show their individual contents.
Biographical record: Wikidata, matched on name and checked against dates held in the catalogue. The period label is an estimate from birth year. The biography above is our own. Authority record: VIAF 5118737. Portrait: anonymous, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.