Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695), was an English composer.
Although incorporating Italian and French stylistic
elements into his compositions, Purcell's legacy was a
uniquely English form of Baroque music. He is generally
considered to be one of the greatest English composers;
no other native-born English composer approached his
fame until Edward Elgar.
"Hark! hark! the Echoing Air a Triumph Sings is an aria
from Act V (No. 48) of the Opera "The Fairy Queen"
which is based on "A Midsummer Ni...(+)
Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695), was an English composer.
Although incorporating Italian and French stylistic
elements into his compositions, Purcell's legacy was a
uniquely English form of Baroque music. He is generally
considered to be one of the greatest English composers;
no other native-born English composer approached his
fame until Edward Elgar.
"Hark! hark! the Echoing Air a Triumph Sings is an aria
from Act V (No. 48) of the Opera "The Fairy Queen"
which is based on "A Midsummer Night's Dream". It was
the most lavish of Purcell's semi-operas. It consisted
of four masques associated with the fairy kingdom. Each
masque is self-contained and captures the atmosphere of
Shakespeare's original play in unique and associative
ways, although Shakespeare's text is not used in any of
the sections.
This piece belongs to the elaborate Epithalamium that
ends the work. It is an outstanding example of the
fresh energetic quality that characterizes Purcell's
melodies. The voice is combined with Purcell's English
adaptation of the Italian trumpet aria style in the
accompaniment. Purcell's text illustration is also
present in the melody and rhythm ("clap their wings").
The vocal line is florid, with sequences of motives and
phrase fragments that alternate with melisma's on
selected words.
Although this Air was originally written for Opera &
Orchestra, I created this arrangement for Concert
(Pedal) Harp & Strings (2 Violins & Viola).
