PURCELL. 



nnlions occur, tliat we cannot pafs them over without aftigma. 

 Yet, upon the whole, the abihtiesof Pnrcell, as a profound 

 contrapuntill, appear perhaps inore in the courle of this 

 fervice than elfevvloere ; as he has nianifef'ted deep itudy and 

 meditation in a fpecies of writing to which it was not likely 

 that his creative and impetuous genius would fubmit, 

 having had the patience, as well as abilities, to enrich it 

 with no Icfs than four different canons, of the moll difB- 

 cult conftruftion, as of two, three, and four in one, by 

 inverfion. 



The fiiperior genius of Purcell can be fairly eftimated 

 oTilr by thofe who make themfelves acquainted with the 

 ftate of. mufic previous to the time in which he flourifhed ; 

 compared with which, his produ*'^ ions for the church, if not 

 more learned, will be found infinitely more varied and cx- 

 prelTive ; and his fccular compofitions appear to have de- 

 fcended from another more happy region, with which nei- 

 ther his predeceffors nor contemporaries had any communi- 

 cation. 



Befides the whole fervice, with three full, and fix vcrfc 

 anthems, in Dr. Boyce's Colleftion, there are nine verfe and 

 full anthems, wholly different, ftill fung in the cathedral at 

 York. And in Dr. Tudway's Colleftion, Britilh Mufeum, 

 there are, befides a whole fervice in B flat, different from that 

 in Boyce, eight full and verfe anthems, different from all 

 the reft, four of which were compofed for the chapel royal 

 of Charles TI., and are accompanied with inftruments. 

 And ftill, exclufive of thefe and the hymns printed in the 

 two books of " Harmonia Sacra," in a manufcript be- 

 queathed to Chrift-church college, Oxon. by Dr. Aldrich, 

 there are two motets, and a " Gloria Patri" for four and 

 five voices, in Latin, with feven pfalms and hymns for three 

 and four voices, by our fertile and diligent compofer, that 

 have all their peculiar merit, but of which fome may, with- 

 out hyperbole, be faid to reach the true fublime of facred 

 mufic. 



To enter into a minute examination of thefe, and his ad- 

 mirable Te Deum and Jubilate, compofed for St. Cecilia's 

 day, 1694, would extend this article to too great a length ; 

 though they merit much praife as well as critical remark ; 

 for which, on the Te Deum we refer our readers to the 

 ample account of him and his works, in Burney's Hiftory 

 of Mufic, vol. iii. 



Purcell's theatrical compofitions, if we recolleft the num- 

 ber and excellencies of his produdtions for the church, and 

 the fhortnefs of his life, will fiu'prife by their multiplicity 

 as well as fingular merit. Of thole dramas which are called 

 operas, and of which mufic and decorations were the prin- 

 cipal allurements held out to the public, a detailed account 

 is given in fpeaking of the origin and progrefs of the mufi- 

 cal drama in England, previous to the ufe of the Italian 

 language, mufic, and performers on our lyric ftage. (See 

 Masques, and Matthew Lock.) And of Purcell's de- 

 tached and incidental fongs, dialogues, and fcenes that were 

 performed at our national theatre, or playhoufe, the princi- 

 pal will be mentioned in fpeaking of his " Orpheus Britan- 

 nicus," or pofthumous colleftion of his mifcellaneous com- 

 pofitions. But befoj-e we enter on an examination of this 

 work, it fcems neceffary to acquaint the reader, that the 

 chief part of his inftrumental mufic for the playhoufe is in- 

 cluded in a publication that appeared two years after his 

 deceafe, under the title of" A Colleftion of Ayres compofed 

 for the Theatre, and on other Occafions, by the late Mr. 

 Henry Purcell. London, printed for Frances Purcell, 

 Executrix of the Author, 1697." Thefe airs are in four 

 parts, for two violins, tenor and bafe, and were played as 

 overtures and aft -tunes in our own memory, till they were 



fuperfeded by Handel's hautbois concertos, and thole, 

 by his overtures, while Boyce's fonatas, and Arne's compo- 

 fitions, ferved as a£t -tunes. In proccfs of time thefe were 

 fupplanted by Martini's concertos and fonatas, which were 

 thrown afide for the fymphonies of Van Maldere, and fo- 

 natas of tlie elder Stamitz. About this time, the trios of 

 Campioni, Zanetti, and Abel, came into play, and then 

 the fymphonies of Stamitz, Canabich, Holtzbaucr, and 

 other Germans, with thofe of Bach, Abel, and Giardini ; 

 which, having done their duty many years very pleafantly, 

 " (lept with their fathers ;" and at prefent give way to Van- 

 hall, Boccherini, Haydn, and Pleyel. " Sic tranfit gloria 

 muficorum !" 



Purcell fcems to have compofed introduftory and aft- 

 tunes to moft of the plays that were brought on the ftage 

 during his time. The publication of thefe, in four parts, 

 contains his mufic to the following dramas : 



" Abelazor," 1677. The mufic of this confifts of an 

 overture, and eight airs or times. 



" The Virtuous Wife," 1680. Overture and feven airs. 

 " Indian Queen." The firft movement of this overture is 

 equal to any of Handel's. There are likewife two or three 

 trumpet-tunes, well calculated for the inftrument, and a 

 rondeau at the end, which would now feem new, if played 

 in a concert by a good band. 



" Dioclefian, or the Prophetefs," 1690. The inftru- 

 mental mufic of this Englifli opera given here, confifts of an 

 overture of two movements, the firil excellent in the ftylc 

 of LuUi, and afterwards of Handel, with better fugues ; 

 prehidio, accompaniment to a fong, trumpet-tune, air, horn- 

 pipe, country-dance, and canaries. 



" King Arthur," 169 1. Overture and twelve tunes. 

 " Ampliitrion," 169 1. Overture and eight tunes. 

 " Gordian Knot untied," 1691. Overture and fever] 

 tunes. 



" Diftrefied Innocence, or the Princefs of Perfia," 1691. 

 Overture and feven tunes, all proofs of the author's original 

 genius. 



" The Fairy Queen," 1692. Two overtures and fixteen 

 tunes of different kinds. N° 12, an air, 4 in 2, is a very 

 curious canon on two fubjefts : the firft treble and bafe 

 performing one, and the fecond and tenor the other. There 

 is as much accent and fpirit in this compofition, as if it were 

 in free counterpoint. 



" The Old Bachelor," 1693. Overture and eight 

 tunes. 



" The Married Beau," 1694. Overture and eight tunes, 

 among which is a very agreeable air for the trumpet, a march, 

 and a hornpipe , that are charafteriftic. This laft is very 

 much in the ityle of a Spanifh fandango. 



" The Double Dealer," 1694. Overture and ten tunes. 

 N° 6 and 9, pretty and curious. 



" Bonduca," 1695. Overture and eighf tunes, including 

 " Britons ftrike home," and " To arms," in four parts. 



Thefe are the contents of this pofthumous publication ; 

 but befides the mufic for thefe dramas, he compofed overtures, 

 aft-tunes, and fongs, for " Timon of Athens," 1678 ; for 

 " Theodofius, or the Force of Love," 1680; for Dryden's 

 " Tempeft," 1620; and for " Don Quixote," 1694. 



But few of Purcell's fingle fongs feem to have been printed 

 during his life. He publiftied the mufic to a mafque fung in 

 the tragedy of " Oedipus," when it was revived in 1692. 

 And " a mufical entertainment, performed Nov. 22, 1683, 

 on St. Cecilia's day, printed in fcore by John Playford, 

 with a dedication to the gentlemen of the mufical fociety, 

 and particularly the Rewards, written by Henry Purcell, 

 compofer of the mufic." 



D 2 There 



