Henry Purcell

Henry Purcell married Frances Peters in 1680. The couple had six children of whom four died in infancy. Only a son, Edward, and a daughter, Frances, survived him. His son too became a musician later on.

He was in his thirties and at the peak of his career in 1695 when he became seriously ill. He died on 21 November 1695. The cause of his death is unclear though is it believed that he died of either a chill or tuberculosis. In a sad twist of fate, the music that he had composed for Queen Mary's funeral just a year ago was performed during his funeral as well.

Henry Purcell was born on 10 September 1659 in St Ann's Lane, Old Pye Street Westminster. His father Henry Purcell Senior was a musician at Court, a chorister at the Chapel Royal and his uncle, Thomas was also a musician. Henry had two brothers: Edward and Daniel.

His father died in 1664 and Henry was placed under the care of his uncle Thomas. His uncle who was himself a musician, arranged for the boy to be admitted as a chorister.

He received his initial training under Captain Henry Cooke and then studied under Pelham Humfrey, Cooke’s successor. After Humfrey's death, he continued his studies under Dr John Blow.

Henry Purcell served as a chorister in the Chapel Royal till 1673. Then his voice broke and he was made an assistant to the organ-builder John Hingston.

In 1674, he was employed at Westminster Abbey to tune the organ; over the next couple of years he also copied organ parts of anthems. He succeeded Matthew Locke as the composer for Charles II’s string orchestra in 1677.

Henry Purcell composed his earliest anthem, ‘Lord, who can tell’, in 1678, and the next year he was appointed organist of Westminster Abbey in succession to the composer John Blow who had once been his teacher and mentor.

He wrote songs for John Playford's ‘Choice Ayres, Songs and Dialogues’ along with an anthem for the Chapel Royal in 1679.

He was especially impressed with the basso profondo voice of the Rev. John Gostling, a gentleman of His Majesty's Chapel, for whom he composed several anthems. The exact dates of these sacred compositions are not known, though it is believed that he wrote them over a period of several years.

The 1680s proved to be a highly productive time for Henry Purcell. In 1682, he was appointed as one of the three organists of the Chapel Royal, and the very next year his first printed composition, ‘Twelve Sonatas’, was published.

One of his most magnificent compositions was 'Come Ye Sons of Art'. It was a birthday ode for Queen Mary, written by Nahum Tate.