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I; i- HENRY PURCELL: THE MAN AND HIS MUSIC By Carl Storm 1962 Unlike other composers who have been subjects for our musical sermons over past years and about whom much has been written concerning their personal lives, our composer for this year is a near nomentity from the point of view of what is personally known about him and is all too little known even through his music. This is no little surprise insofar as during his lifetime he was hailed as the most famous English musician of his age and when he died was acclaimed "one of the most Celebrated Masters of the Science of Musick in the Kingdom, and scarce inferiour to any in Europe", and was buried with great fame and much ceremony in Westminster Abbey. About so illustrious a figure, one might expect a considerable amount of personal information to have been gathered from outsiders, at least, if not from the subject himself. The inquisitive Pepys who lived at the time and was a passionate lover of music must certainly have come across Purcell at some time during his life and very likely could have provided us with some information, even if not above the level of gossip, but this he failed to do having brought his famous diary to a stop in 1669 when Purcell was only ten years old. Likewise with the cultivated Evelyn who also kept a diary and greatly enjoyed music, but who was much more interested in performers than in composers. He makes mention of the fact that when he was an old man he heard some songs by the Late Dr. Purcell at Pepys' house, but he does not say what they were or what he thought of them and about Purcell himself he gives no inform ation. Prom Purcell we have almost nothing in the way of personal record. He left a will which like most wills only testifies to the claim that he died in full possession of his mental faculties and some dedications and prefaces to his few published works which are interesting but non-revealing concerning his personal life. The result is that in a biographical sense, we have no real life of Purcell and very likely shall never have one. The very date of his birth is unknown. From various official records, upon which his life must be re-constructed , the year appears tobe 1659 but his time of birth between June and November of that year is quite unknown and may have occurred even outside the range of those months. Even about his parentage there is uncertainty.Westrup advances the theory that he was the son, not as commonly supposed of Henry Purcell the ; ; elder, but of the reputed uncle Thomas. Holland, on the other hand, holds this to be only an ingenious theory without substantiation. There is still disagreement as to which of the Purcell brothers, Thomas or Henry, was father of the Henry Purcell in whom we are particularly interested. Relative to Purcell's music, "unluckily", said Burney, "he built his fame with such perishable materials that his worth and works are greatly diminishing...and so much is our great musician's celebrity already consigned to tradition that it will soon be as difficult to find his songs or at least to hear them, as those of his predecessors..." In a measure this is quite true. Purcell is largely unknown. Only slowly has there been a re-discovery and a new appreciation of his music. A good bit of it, particularly that having to do with the stage, is not likely to be ever truly re-found for it is very unlikely that the dramatic works for which he wrote the music will ever again be given major dramatic attention. It is more or less by chance that we have some of this stage music made available to' us. We shall now here two of his airs from DauMe Deafer which stand in contrast to the organ preludes that we have already heard. ; DauMe Deafer first produced in 1693 at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, London, and written by William Congreve was rather typical of Restoration Comedy, being witty,^highly mannered, and occasionally bawdy. That Purcell should have written for the cathedral organ, as well as, for the theatrical stage may strike us as being somewhat odd. But the seventeenth century did not recognize any water-tight compartments for the musician's art. "Men of our profession", said Dr. Blow, "hang between the church and the playhouse as Mahomet's tomb does between the two load-stones and just equally incline to both because by both we are equally supported." (Airs from DauM^ Deafer) Bom in 1659, Purcell was a child of the Restoration Period. That is to say he was bom shortly before Charles II's return from European exile and restoration of the monarchy following upon the collapse of the Commonwealth under Cromwell's eldest surviving son. Cromwell, himself had been a lover of music in his private life but his Puritanism , as well as, his political position had seriously curtailed the performance and production of music in England, Not . 2" 3 only had music attendant upon royalty been brought to an end, but cathedral choirs had been suppressed, organs had been either destroyed or silenced, and the Chapel Royal had been disbanded at the time of the execution of Charles I. With Restoration there was hope even on the part of some who were not too keen about the return of royalty that some of the drabness of Puritanism would be over-come and that music would be given a new lease on life. This was the case. There was music for Charles II's procession as it moved from the Tower of London to Whitehall on the day before the coronation and there was music at the coronation, with both Thomas and Henry Purcell singing in the choir. One of Charles the Second's first acts, musically speaking, had been the re-establishment of the Chapel Royal. This had once been and now was again to be a fertile training ground for some outstanding musicians. The term did not refer so much to the place where the sovereign attended divine service, as to the body of clergy and musicians who formed his personal religious establishment. The choir or choirs contained senior choristers, called Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal, among whom were Thomas and Henry Purcell. In addition there were boy choristers, normally twelve in number, who were known as the Children of the Chapel Royal. These were given musical training, education, and general care. Once their childish voices had broken they had the possibility of moving into the more senior ranks or going on somewhat independently with their music, or following a career in the royal service. In the reconstituted Chapel Royal,they were under the guidance and supervision of Captain Henry Cooke, an excellent musician, who derived his title from having fought with the royalist forces during the Civil War. He had the power, a power which extended far back in history, to pressgang promising boys into the royal service. This could not have been pleasing to many provincial organists and choirmasters who must have been greatly disturbed at having their best pupils filched from them, but to be one of Captain Cooke's boys was generally looked upon as being a high privilege. Amongst his choristers were a good many who afterwards rose to fame as musicians and composers. One of these was John Blow from Nottingham and another was to be Henry Purcell. Let us here break the continuity of our account and listen to one of Purcell's so-called TW<9 So-called, because contrary to title, the trio sonata was a form generally performed by four instruments rather than three. Purcell wrote two sets of such 4 sonatas, reflective of his interest in the new concerted style that had grown up in Italy. He makes use of the violin which was a relatively new instrument as a medium for chamber music having been commonly downgraded as an instrument of common fiddlers, and his style is both polyphonic and harmonic, with the organ or in this instance the harpsichord providing the chordal background while the other instruments indulge in imitation and fugue. (7W<? SbM#?#) On August the eleventh, 1664, the elder Henry Purcell died and two days later his remains were buried in the east cloister of Westminster Abbey. Tradition has it that young Henry was taken into the Chapel Royal a few months later when he was only six years of age. This, however, seems highly unlikely, insofar as other children, however precocious, were not taken until they were some ten or twelve years of age. What we do know with assurance from the records is that he was one of the children of the Chapel Royal and that his voice broke in 1673 which would have made him then some fourteen years of age. Just how long he was a boy chorister we do not know, but that he must early have begun to distinguish himself as a composer is indicated by report that he composed the music for "The Address of the children of the Chapel Royal to the King and their master, Captain Cooke, on His majesty's Birthday, A.D. 1670". The composition itself, has been lost, but that it was even remembered suggests that it must have had merit since compositions by Captain Cooke's boys were far too numerous to attract more than a fleeting interest unless they were really outstanding. In the same year that his voice broke, he was given his first appointment as assistant to John Hingston as keeper and repairer of the King's wind instruments. This was a modest but in no way an unimportant or an undignified appointment. In the seventeenth century there was scarcely any of our specialized distinction between workman and performer. To be a repairer and tuner of instruments, as well as, a performer and even a composer was commonly assumed to be an important aspect of practical musicianship. According to Westrup, when the organ at Westminster Abbey was restored in the first year of Charles II's reign, Christopher Gibbons, the organist was paid twenty shillings for his share in the work of tuning it. Bernard Smith, one of the most famous of organ-builders, not only built an organ in St. Margaret's, 5 Westminster, but was also organist of the church for thirty-two years. Hingston was an outstanding musician and a distinguished organist even favored by Cromwell whose daughter he taught and from him Purcell learned much, not only about the repair and tuning of organs but also the playing of them. On Hingston's death he succeeded to full authority, having already been entrusted with the tuning of the organ at Westminster Abbey. Then when only eighteen years of age, he was named to succeed Locke as composer for the King's Violins. The king's band of twenty-four violins had been instituted soon after the Restoration in imitation of a like musical organization at the French Court. Its duties were principally to play at court functions wherever the king was in residence. The king liked music that was airy and brisk and at first the King's Violins did not take part in the services in the Chapel Royal. When finally they did, they gave to those services a decidedly non-solemn characteristic. According to Evelyn it was music "better suiting a tavern or playhouse than a church". Purcell, in performance of his duties as composer for the King's Violins must have written a considerable number of airs and dances for court functions, but these were apparently looked upon as ephemeral along with the occasions and have not survived. We can only assume that they very likely contained some very good music, since Purcell was never one to shirk pouring his full strength into whatever musical work he did. During the offertory, however, we shall have the opportunity to listen to the overture to one of Purcell's outstanding works that has survived. Ishall have more to say about this work as we go along for the major portion of it will comprise the rest of the music in our service this morning. (Overture - (Me For Cecf&a'j 'j* Day) Some two years after his appointment as Composer for the King's Violins, Purcell was named to succeed John Blow as organist of Westminster Abbey. It was a post, along with others, that he was to hold for the rest of his life. However, his life was to be relatively brief and in time John Blow would once again take up his old appointment. In 1680, the yearafter his appointment at the Abbey, Purcell was active not only as acomposer for the court, the chamber, and the church, but also for the stage. Some of his writing for the court must have been trying, as when in that year he had to 6 compose "a Song to Welcome home his Majesty from Windsor" and had to wrestle with such insipid lines as: His absence was Autumn, his presence is Spring That ever new life and new pleasure does bring, Then all that have voices, let 'em cheerfully sing, And those that have none may say: 'God save the King'." He was likewise to be up against some pretty tough lines when it came to doing music for the stage, and yet, time and again despite the lines, he turned out beautiful and expressive songs, never without surprise in his musicalhandling of the words. We have just heard the overture to his Cecffrn'y Day; In a moment or so we shall hear the first two of several vocal numbers from that work, but first let me say a little something about it and give the lines that are to be sung. St. Cecilia is the patron saint of music, whose birthday the 22nd of November was rather widely celebrated throughout Europe by lovers of music. In England the occasion was first celebrated in 1683, when a body called "The Musical Society" decided to commission a distinguished poet to write an ode in praise of music to be set by a distinguished composer. Concerning the occasion of 1691, we are told that the company foregathered in the morning in St. Bride's Church, where a service was performed by most skilled musicians, and a sermon was preached in defence of Cathedral Music, which had lately been suppressed under the Puritans. The assembly then repaired to Stationers Hall to hear the new ode composed in Cecilia's honor, after which they sat down to a banquet. Purcell apparently took part in and contributed to a number of these occasions, but his most famous composition in connection with St. Cecilia's day was that done for the year 1692, toward the end of his life. The poem was by Nicholas Brady, Chaplain to the Queen and it followed the conventional pattern of giving praise to music in general, and then going on in praise of various musical instruments. The opening declamation states: Hail! bright Cecilia, fill ev'ry heart With love of thee and thy celestial art, That thine, and Music's sacred love May make the English forest prove As famous as Dodona's vocal grove. 7 And following this comes another number, set to the lines: Hark, each tree its silence breaks, The box and fir to talk begin, This in the sprightly violin, That in the flute distinctly speaks. Twas sympathy their list-ning brethren drew, When to the Thracian lyre with leafy wings they flew. As poetry the lines are pretty laborious, but listen to what Purcell does with them. (Two vocal numbers from - - (Me Far & CectKa 'j Day) Probably sometime during 1681 Purcell married. About his wife almost nothing is known, beyond the fact that her Christian name was Frances and indication that her maiden name was Peters. Apparently they had a number of children, several of which died in infancy.Tradition relates that Purcell was a man of intemperate habits and given to late hours, that his wife, indignant at these excesses refused to admit him after midnight and he consequently caught a cold which brought on his death. All this, however, has no foundation beyond that of gossip and in light of his many duties is highly unlikely. In 1682 Purcell was named one of the three organists of the Chapel Royal, which along with his Westminster post called for much composition of church music. In 1683 he ventured into print on his own account for the first time with his 7n<9 SbMafay. The death of Charles the Second in the early part of 1685 brought a few months later the coronation of James the Second, for which occasion Purcell wrote some of the music; his anthem, Afy q / (?<?<%? being considered one of the finest thing he ever wrote. But the new reign was not to last long. James the Second was openly a Catholic, where as Charles the Second had rather secretly died one and the nation would not put up with a Catholic sovereign. Towards the close of 1688, the King and Queen fled the country to be succeeded by William the Third and Mary. On April the eleventh, 1689, Purcell had to assist at the second coronation within four years. The occasion was marred for Purcell by an unfortunate occurrence, it was usual for spectators to be admitted to the organ loft on royal occasions and they were ready to pay for the privilege, as they enjoyed an excellent view of the proceedings. The fees were 5 collected by the organist, who was expected to hand them over to the Dean and Chapter. On this occasion Purcell neglected to do so, either because he mistakenly regarded them as his perquisite, or more likely simply because he had not gotten around to doing so under the pressure of many duties. There is nothing in the obviousness of the situation that leads to any thought of his attempting to be other than honest. The Dean and Chapter, however, lost no time in passing a blistering resolution,demanding the money on threat of suspension from his position. Purcell paid and retained his position. A short while later he set an ode for the Queen's Birthday. At this point let us listen to another two numbers from the Cecf/fa (Me. First the words: Soul of the world, inspired by thee, The jarring seeds of matter did agree. Thou didst the scattered atoms bind Which by the laws of true proportion joined, Made up of various parts, one perfect harmony. The second set to the brief lines: Thou tun'st this world below, the spheres above, Who in the heavenly round to their own music move. (Two vocal numbers from - - (Me Far 3;. Ce<r%fa'.y 'j Day) Purcell wrote a tremendous amount of music for the stage, most of it after the accession of W iliam and Mary, and during the last six years of his life. Much of it was incidental music, the Restoration theatre wanting music but tending to keep the music apart from the dramatic action. Nevertheless some of this music in and of itself represents Purcell at his finest. He did music for revamped versions of Shakespeare's 7%^ 7!ewipe.yf and A A/MrM/wm^r A7igA;'.yDream, and some of his most fruitful collaboration was with the poet Dryden in such works as King ArM^r and Trnifan Queen. And he wrote, on a libretto furnished by Nahum Tate for performance at a girl's school, one of his finest works, considered by many to be his greatest masterpiece, the opera D%?<? ami Aeneas. It was a true opera in the sense that every word is sung and eveiy note is significant. It was the one and only opera he wrote and it has been described as "the only perfect English opera ever written". The last years of Purcell's life were extremely busy. Besides his work for the church, the court, and the stage, he was called upon to do music for various celebrations of the day. He was commissioned by the Yorkshiremen in London to write a Yorkshire Feast Song for their annual reunion in 1690. In 1693, Trinity College, Dublin, commissioned an ode for their centenary celebrations. In 1694, for the St. Cecilia's Day celebrations he did a setting of the 7*e Deum and VMManf with orchestral accompaniment, which for many years was performed regularly in St. Paul's Cathedral. The same year he did a Birthday Ode for Queen Mary. It was the last birthday ode that he was to do for her. For late that year she died of small-pox. For the funeral service he composed an anthem: 7%<9W fAe o/* <?Mr He had used the words once before as a young man but this was a new version bom of his maturity. Thomas Tudway, one of the first set of Captain Cooke's boys, was so moved when he heard it that long afterwards he wrote: "I appeal to all that were present...whether they ever heard anything so rapturously fine and solemn and so heavenly in the operation... and yet a plain, natural composition: which shows the pow'r of Music, when 'tis rightly fitted..." This morning we do not have a performance of that anthem, but again from the St. Cecilia's Ode, see how rightly fitted is Purcell';s music to words in praise of the organ ( "wondrous machine" ) the airy violin, and the am'rous flute. (number from - - CecfR#'.? *F Day) Purcell became ill in the autumn of 1695. The likelihood is that he had tuberculosis. Eveiy now and then he roused himself to compose. The last song he is said to have set contained the lines: Ah! 'tis in vain, 'tis all in vain. Death and despair must end the fatal pain. Cold despair disguis'd like snow and rain falls on my breast, Bleak winds in tempest blow. On the twenty-first of November he made his will. It was the eve of St. Cecilia's Day. That night he died in his thirty-seventh year. The Dean and Chapter of Westminster unanimously decided that he would be buried in Westminster Abbey. His wife asked that he should be laid to rest at the foot of the organ which he had played for some ' fifteen years. He was carried there on November the twenty-sixth and the music played was his own, including that written so short a while before for Queen Mary's funeral. ( Many honored him at his death and many sorrowed for him. The Italian composer, Arcangelo Corelli, who had set out for England in the hope of seeing him turned back at Calais on learning of his death. There was no point in continuing his journey now that the greatness had departed from English music. Dryden wrote an Ode which John Blow set to music. A long Latin inscription was carved upon his tombstone and on a pillar close by a tablet was placed to inform all who passed by that "Here lies Henry Purcell, who left this life and is gone to that blessed place where only his harmony can be exceeded." Writers and musicians strove to excel one another in their tributes but perhaps the simplest of all was at the same time the most touching. An obscure writer in an obscure journal called 77:2 wrote: "He is much lamented, being a very great Master of Music."