Henry Purcell (1659 – 1695) was an English composer.
His style of Baroque music was uniquely English,
although it incorporated Italian and French elements.
Generally considered among the greatest English opera
composers, Purcell is often linked with John Dunstaple
and William Byrd as England's most important early
music composers. No later native-born English composer
approached his fame until Edward Elgar, Ralph Vaughan
Williams, Gustav Holst, William Walton and Benjamin
Britten in the 20th c...(+)
Henry Purcell (1659 – 1695) was an English composer.
His style of Baroque music was uniquely English,
although it incorporated Italian and French elements.
Generally considered among the greatest English opera
composers, Purcell is often linked with John Dunstaple
and William Byrd as England's most important early
music composers. No later native-born English composer
approached his fame until Edward Elgar, Ralph Vaughan
Williams, Gustav Holst, William Walton and Benjamin
Britten in the 20th century.
The coronation of King James II on 23 April 1685 was an
opulent affair which was recorded in profuse detail by
Francis Sandford. Trumpeters, drummers and
kettle-drummers led the procession to Westminster
Abbey, followed by the eight ‘Children of the Choir
of Westminster’, the twelve boys of the Chapel Royal
(all individually named and including the young
Jeremiah Clarke) and the respective adult members of
those choirs (32 in number, though not all would have
sung: some were organists and choirmasters). The
magnificent service in the Abbey was accompanied by a
large instrumental ensemble, including the vingt-quatre
violons (for once at their full strength –
Sandford’s rather inaccurate engravings show some
twenty string players), and an organ specially set up
in the Abbey by Purcell in his capacity as ‘organ
maker and keeper etc.’.
Purcell’s setting was conceived on the largest scale,
using four-part strings, eight-part choir and eight
soloists. The sound must have been radiant in a crowded
Westminster Abbey, for Purcell’s textures, the lower
end dominated by three bass chorus parts, the trebles,
altos and tenors taking the middle and higher ground
and the upper strings giving a wonderful sheen to the
ensemble, were magnificent. Anchoring the ensemble was
a huge continuo section – in our recording we use no
fewer than six bass violins and four theorbos along
with the organ (its twentieth-century costs sadly not
funded by the Secret Service), producing an
extraordinary sound and denuding London, just as the
coronation did, of all the best players!
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Purcell).
Although originally composed for Voices (SATB),
Trumpets & Organ, I created this interpretation of the
"Alleluja!" from "My heart is inditing of a good
matter" (Z.30 No. 7) for Winds (Flute, Oboe, French
Horn & Bassoon) & Strings (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).
