
The Purcell Compendium
Boydell & Brewer (Publisher)
Published on 20. May 2025
Book
Hardback
286 pages
978-1-83765-268-6 (ISBN)
Description
Ground breaking and comprehensive reference volume covering an extensive range of Purcell studies, including his life and works, his milieu and the reception of his music to the present.
In the 30 years since the Tercentenary of Purcell's death in 1995 research into him and the musical culture of Restoration England has developed rapidly. Even the most authoritative books published then are now seriously out of date, and no-one since then has attempted to cover the whole range of Purcell studies. The book is largely taken up with A-Z dictionary entries, preceded by an up-to-date biography and followed by a work-list and bibliography. The dictionary includes entries for many of Purcell's works; the genres he contributed to; the titles and terms he used; the instruments he wrote for; the most important manuscript and printed sources of his music; and some pressing performance practice issues.
Important threads are devoted to people associated with Purcell, including earlier composers who influenced him; his fellow composers; his pupils and followers; those who provided him with texts to set; his patrons and employers; the most important copyists, publishers and instrument makers associated with him; and those contemporaries who wrote about him. The book breaks new ground by giving particular emphasis to his performers, including the most prominent singers and dancers he worked with; and the individuals and institutions responsible for maintaining (or sometimes altering) his legacy up to the present.
In the 30 years since the Tercentenary of Purcell's death in 1995 research into him and the musical culture of Restoration England has developed rapidly. Even the most authoritative books published then are now seriously out of date, and no-one since then has attempted to cover the whole range of Purcell studies. The book is largely taken up with A-Z dictionary entries, preceded by an up-to-date biography and followed by a work-list and bibliography. The dictionary includes entries for many of Purcell's works; the genres he contributed to; the titles and terms he used; the instruments he wrote for; the most important manuscript and printed sources of his music; and some pressing performance practice issues.
Important threads are devoted to people associated with Purcell, including earlier composers who influenced him; his fellow composers; his pupils and followers; those who provided him with texts to set; his patrons and employers; the most important copyists, publishers and instrument makers associated with him; and those contemporaries who wrote about him. The book breaks new ground by giving particular emphasis to his performers, including the most prominent singers and dancers he worked with; and the individuals and institutions responsible for maintaining (or sometimes altering) his legacy up to the present.
Reviews / Votes
As I read The Purcell Compendium, I found myself wishing that it had been available to me as an undergraduate student with a burgeoning interest in early modern English music. The authors have created a concise guide to a set of terms that can otherwise be overwhelming. Students, performers, and other readers now have easier access to this historical period and its repertoire through Holman and White's work. This volume is a much-needed guide not only for Purcell scholars and enthusiasts, but also for any readers interested in musical life during the Restoration and late Stuart eras. * EARLY MUSIC AMERICA *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Woodbridge
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
15 b/w. illus, 10 music examples
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
596 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83765-268-6 (9781837652686)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
PETER HOLMAN is Emeritus Professor of Historical Musicology at Leeds University. When not occupied with writing and research, he organises performances of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century music, mostly directing them from the keyboard. He is director of The Parley of Instruments, Leeds Baroque, the Suffolk Villages Festival and the annual Baroque Summer School run by Cambridge Early Music. BRYAN WHITE is Senior Lecturer and Director of Research at the School of Music, University of Leeds.
Content
Introduction
Biography
Dictionary
Works
Bibliography
Biography
Dictionary
Works
Bibliography