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Henry PurcellEnglish composer
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Henry Purcell
Early Life and EducationLittle is known about the life of Henry Purcell, even the identity of his father remains uncertain. It is known that he married in 1681 and had six children, but left very little for his widow after his death. Purcell's professional life was mostly spent in the Royal Chapel and Westminster Abbey. He sang in the choir of the Chapel as a child, then worked as a tuner for the wooden wind instruments in the royal orchestra. He was also an organ tuner at the Abbey, a composer for the Royal Violin Orchestra, an organist at Westminster, and eventually became an organist and member of the Royal Chapel. Purcell received his musical education primarily from singing in the Chapel choir, but it is possible that he also took private lessons from M. Locke and J. Blow. There is no information that the composer traveled outside of England. Purcell died in London on November 21, 1695.
Musical Legacy
Purcell's legacy is primarily composed of compositions created "for occasions," which were related to the royal family and church services in the Chapel and Abbey. Among his sacred works are more than 60 anthems, 5 complete services, and numerous solo vocal pieces. Some of Purcell's anthems are still performed today, and his large sectional anthems represent the highest example of this form. His secular activities were largely associated with the theater, as he composed music for at least 44 plays and is the author of 6 more or less complete operas. His most famous opera, Dido and Aeneas (circa 1689), is considered the first great English opera.
Impact on English Music
Purcell's significance in the history of English music is not only due to his genius and freshness of ideas but also to his successful synthesis of the more refined continental European culture with the still developing expressive means of English musical language. His flexible and clear way of using the intonation peculiarities of the native language remains unmatched to this day. Purcell proved to be the last Englishman to develop a purely national musical tradition, as in the following century it was almost entirely replaced by fashionable European influences.
Influence
In the early 20th century, when English composers turned to the roots of their national tradition, they were primarily drawn to Purcell's legacy. His work had a decisive influence on composers such as E. Elgar, R. Vaughan Williams, and B. Britten.
