Cambridge University PressEdition: Illustrated, 9/14/1995EAN 9780521441742, ISBN10: 0521441749Hardcover, 320 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 2.2 cmLanguage: EnglishThe tercentenary of Henry Purcell's death fell in 1995, and this 1995 volume of specially commissioned essays was collected to celebrate Purcell's music in his tercentenary year. The essays are representative of the best research and deal mainly with the autograph manuscripts, Purcell's compositional technique, the relationship between Purcell and his teacher John Blow, a reassessment of Purcell court odes, performance practice and wordsetting, and eighteenth-century reception history, particularly regarding King Arthur. The volume is well illustrated with music examples and photographs of important manuscripts. It also analyses Purcell's compositional techniques through detailed study of his manuscripts and reports on the discovery of two important autograph manuscripts. The book opens with an assessment of Purcell's illusive personality.List of illustrationsPrefaceIntroductionin search of Purcell's character Curtis Price1. Purcell's great autographs Robert Thompson2. Purcell as collector of 'ancient' musicFitzwilliam MS 88 Robert Shay3. Purcell's revisions of his own works Rebecca Herissone4. New light on Purcell's keyboard music Curtis Price5. Purcell and Roseingravea new autograph Peter Holman6. 'Only Purcell e're shall equal Blow' Bruce Wood7. Purcell's odespropaganda and panegyric Ian Spink8. Purcell, Blow and the English court ode Martin Adams9. Continuity and tempo in Purcell's vocal works A. Margaret Laurie10. Poetic metre, musical metre and the dance in Purcell's songs Katherine Rohrer11. King Arthur expos'da lesson in anatomy Andrew Pinnock12. King Arthur's journey into the eighteenth-century Ellen T. HarrisAfterworda portrait of Henry Purcell Janet SnowmanIndex.'... rich in specialist debate and musical extracts.' The Spectator
