Purcell: The Fairy Queen, Z.629 - Full Orchestral Score

by Henry Purcell

Composed in 1692 for a lavish revival of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Henry Purcell's The Fairy Queen stands among the crowning achievements of English Baroque theatre music. This semi-opera weaves together dazzling masques, dances, and airs of extraordinary invention, showcasing Purcell's gift for vivid orchestral color and dramatic characterization at the height of his creative powers.

This full score reproduces the edition published in The Works of Henry Purcell, Vol. XII ( Novello, Ewer & Co., 1903), prepared under the auspices of the Purcell Society and edited by the noted English musicologist John South Shedlock. As part of the pioneering complete critical edition of Purcell's works, this volume represents one of the earliest scholarly efforts to establish an authoritative text for The Fairy Queen, and it remained a primary reference for conductors and scholars throughout the twentieth century.

About this

Full orchestral score, complete workPage 8.5 x 11 inchesReproduced from a historic public domain sourcePublished by Purple 4R PublishingBecause this score entered the public domain long ago, we're delighted to bring this classic Purcell Society edition back into print, making it easy and affordable for musicians, students, and scholars to own a beautifully reproduced copy of this landmark English score.

222 pages, Paperback

Published August 11, 2026

About the author

Baroque composer Henry Purcell served, at various times in his life, as organ tuner, "composer-in-ordinary," organist, and composer to the royal family. He is probably best known for his stage music, including The Fairy Queen (1692) and the opera, Dido and Aeneas (1689). He composed more than 250 pieces of music in his lifetime, including secular songs, religious anthems, pieces for instrumental ensemble, and works for harpsichord.

More information can be found here:

http://www.naxos.com/person/Henry_Pur...