Background
Henry Purcell was born on September 10, 1659 in Westminster, London, England.
Henry Purcell was born on September 10, 1659 in Westminster, London, England.
Through the interest of this affectionate guardian, who was himself a gentleman of His Majesty's chapel, Henry was admitted to the chapel-royal as a chorister, and studied first under Captain Henry Cooke (d. 1672), " master of the children, " and afterwards under Pelham Humfrey (1647 - 1674), his successor, a pupil of Lully. He studied with Humfrey and Blow.
After Humfrey's death he continued his studies under Dr John Blow.
In 1676 he was appointed copyist at Westminster Abbey-not organist, as has sometimes been erroneously stated-and in the same year he composed the music to Dryden's Aurenge-Zebe, and Shadwell's Epsom Wells and The Libertine. They were followed in 1677 by the music to Mrs Behn's tragedy, Abdelazor, and in 1678 by an overture and masque for Shadwell's new version of Shakespeare's Timon of Athens.
He succeeded Blow as organist of Westminster Abbey in 1679.
In the following year he wrote some songs for Playford's Choice Ayres, Songs and Dialogues, and also an anthem, the name of which is not known, for the chapel-royal.
The dates of very few of these sacred compositions are known; but one, " They that go down to the sea in ships, " though certainly not written until some time after this period, will be best mentioned here.
But during the early part of the year, and in all probability before entering upon the duties of his new office, he had produced two important works for the stage, the music for Lee's Theodosius and D'Urfey's Virtuous Wife.
It was written to a libretto furnished by Nahum Tate, at the request of Josiah Priest, a professor of dancing, who also kept a boarding-school for young gentlewomen, first in Leicester Fields and afterwards at Chelsea.
In 1682 he became one of the 3 organists of the Chapel Royal.
His first printed composition, Twelve Sonatas, was published in 1683.
In 1685 his anthem My Heart is Inditing was composed
for the coronation of James II and 4 years later he was involved in the coronation of William III and Mary II. The Libertine was suggested by Tirso de Molina's tale, El Bur- lador de Sevilla, afterwards dramatically treated by Moliftre and chosen by Da Ponte as the foundation of Mozart's Don Giovanni of his finest anthems, " I was glad " and " My heart is inditing, " for the coronation of James II.
In 1687 he resumed his connexion with the theatre by furnishing the music for Dryden's tragedy, Tyrannic Love.
A few months later he wrote the music for D'Urfey's play, The Fool's Preferment.
In 1690 he wrote the songs for Dryden's version of Shakespeare's Tempest, including " Full fathom five " and " Come unto these Yellow Sands, " and the music for Betterton's adaptation of Fletcher and Massinger's Prophetess (afterwards called Dioclesian) and Dryden's Amphitryon; and in 1691 he produced his dramatic masterpiece, King Arthur, also written by Dryden, and first published by the Musical Antiquarian Society in 1843.
In this he pressed forward so far in advance of the age that the work was annually performed at St Paul's Cathedral till 1712, after which it was performed alternately with Handel's Utrecht Те Deum and Jubliate until 1743, when it finally gave place to Handel's Dettingen Те Deum.
Purcell did not long survive the production of this great work.
(A collection of vocal solos composed by Henry Purcell.)
Henry Purcell married Frances Peters in 1680. The couple had six children of whom four died in infancy. Only a son, Edward, and a daughter, Frances, survived him. His son too became a musician later on.