Purcell

by Simon Mundy

This volume takes the reader on a journey through the life and works of Henry Purcell. It is published to coincide with the 300th anniversary of his death.

Genres: Music

144 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1995

Reviews

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Purcell is nowadays seen as a very highbrow composer and so it was with interest that I read about the variety of his work. Though I probably will not be looking up some of those other works, I did enjoy reading about he almost single-handedly brought English music back into the continental scene. Purcell does not appear in the book until page 50 or so, but I was so engrossed in the history, scandal and fun of the English musical scene that I did not mind too much. The small black and white plates of musicians, royalty and maps of the city were fun. Charles the II was amusing to read about. There's a lot of meat here for about the founding of different theatre companies and the use of music. It is amazing how convulsed the musical world (theaters, church music, publishers) was by the politics of the time and the Purcell family seems to have been a model of diplomacy to prosper in such an age. More detail on particular works would have been nice but not a deal-breaker. I feel encouraged to read more of this series of books.