Henry Purcell

Henry Purcell is Britain's best-known and most distinguished composer, the author of musical works and compositions for court, church and theatre which attract increasing contemporary audiences. Within his short life-span he impressed his stamp on the music of the whole country, both as organist at Westminster Abbey and as official composer to four monarchs (Charles II, James II and William and Mary). He also collaborated with the greatest writers and poets of his age, including Dryden, and his music was the subject of lively debate in the pages of contemporary diarists such as Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn. This book relates Purcell's life to the political, artistic and social world in which he moved - from childhood in the Restoration and experiences of the Great Fire and the Great Plague, to the complex politics of the later 17th century.