Purcell's Works For Choir

Henry Purcell 1659-1695

I.

Purcell’s Personal Life & Influences o Father was gentleman of Chapel Royal; sang at coronation of King Charles II of England o After father’s death in 1664, uncle became guardian  Uncle was gentleman of His Majesty’s chapel  Arranged for Purcell to be admitted as chorister o Began composing at eight-nine years of age  Earliest work: ode for the King’s birthday, 1670 o Studied under organist Dr. John Blow, who in 1680 resigned his Westminster Abbey post in favour of his pupil, Purcell at 22 yrs o Wrote often for Rev. John Gostling, a fine basso profondo, with a range of two full octaves o Married in 1682 o Appointed organist of the Chapel-Royal, while retaining his Westminster Abbey position: held both until his death  Provided anthems, welcome songs, birthday odes, coronation music o Died in 1695 at age 36; wife and three of six children survived him

II.

Style of Purcell o Dido and Aeneas: first genuine English opera  Owes much to Blow’s Venus and Adonis: action progresses in recitatives  Unusally, it was never produced in a theatre, but was popular in private circles  Only known performance during Purcell’s lifetime was at a girls’ boarding school in Chelsea

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Henry Purcell 1659-1695 Later semi-operas contain finer music, but Dido anticipates many aspects of 19th-century opera Youthful works have irregular dissonance, later work is more conservative Sophisticated counterpoint Highly flexible rhythms and phrase lengths Motivic and harmonic coherence King Arthur shows influence of Lully’s operas 

o o o o o III.

Works of Purcell • Music to John Dryden’s Aureng-Zebe • Music to Thomas Shadwell’s Epsom Wells & The Libertine (“In These Delightful Pleasant Groves” is from Libertine) • Music to Aphra Behn’s tragedy, Abdelazar • Overture & masque for Shadwell’s Timon of Athens. • Songs for John Playford’s Choice Ayres, Songs and Dialogues • Anthems: “I Was Glad” & “My Heart is Inditing” for the coronation of King James II • Additional incidental music for plays • Te Deum and Jubilate for Saint Cecilia’s Day (1693): first ever with orchestral accompaniment o Annually performed at St. Paul’s Cathedral until 1712 o Then alternated with Handel’s Utrecht Te Deum and Jubilate until 1743 o Replaced by Handel’s Dettingen Te Deum • Anthem and two elegies for Queen Mary’s funeral • Operas: Don Quixote, Boudicca, The Indian Queen, others

IV.

Purcell on Required Music Lists

Kansas Required List KS Level 1 SAB Come, Sing a Joyful Song KS Level 2 SATB Come, Ye Sons of Art KS Level 3 SSA My Dearest, My Fairest

Purcell/Liebergen Purcell POP Purcell/Dunt POP

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Idaho Required List Class C SA Sound the Trumpet Purcell/Erb LG 787 Class C SATB Three Short Anthems Purcell/Shaw-Parker LG 624 Class C SATB In These Delightful Pleasant Groves Purcell/Greyson

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Henry Purcell 1659-1695 Texas Prescribed List – see below

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Bour B206649-353