As you may have noticed, either from previous posts or today's title, I am a HUGE fan of the composer Henry Purcell (1659-95)! Today I'd like to share some of my favourite pieces by him, with videos of the best versions of each so you can try them out for yourselves.
First up is 'Come ye Sons of Art', which he composed for the 32nd birthday of Queen Mary II on 30th April 1694. It is composed of several different sections including an instrumental introduction, solo songs and choruses. The collection contains the duet for two countertenors 'Sound the Trumpet' which is my favourite song, hence its inclusion in the title. The song also includes a small in-joke which would have made the audience smile. The song contains the line 'You make the listening shores rebound' and at this time the court trumpeters both went by the surname of Shore. There is no trumpet part in the song so the Shores would have had nothing to do - only listen! Another wonderful song is 'Strike the Viol', for solo countertenor that feels somewhat sad despite its cheerful lyrics (it is all about instruments singing Mary's praise).
There is also a Part 2 to this video that you might like but since all my favourite parts are in this one I didn't upload the other one!
Next up is another birthday ode, again written for Queen Mary, this time from 1691. I'm sorry, I just have to post the whole thing! However, if I had to pick the best bit, it would be the opening tenor solo and chorus 'Welcome Glorious Morn' (also the title of the main work). I think that it would make a great alarm clock sound - when you hear it, you'll realise that Purcell must have been a huge morning person! Also, note that in the portrait of Mary shown in the video, she's in the revealing 'undress' fashion that was popular in portraits of the time - even for somebody like her, with her crown clearly visible beside her!
The final piece for today (although I could talk about Purcell for absolutely hours) is 'Hail Bright Cecilia', something so exquisite that I haven't been able to get it out of my head since I first heard it - almost a week ago! It's part of his 1692 'Ode for St Cecilia's Day' (she is the patron saint of music). What I love the most about the piece is its powerful ending. The last three notes are all the same, making the end very strong and conclusive so it sounds like 'Great patroness of us... And HAR-MO-NY!'
I hope you enjoy the music as much as I do!
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