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Baroque Period:The period we now call the Baroque stretched across a stormy century and a half of European history. It began shortly before the year 1600, a convenient signpost that need not be taken too literally, and may be regarded as having come to a close with the death of Bach in 1750. The transition from Renaissance to Baroque brought with it a great change: the shift of interest from a texture of several independent parts to one in which a single melody stood out--that is, form polyphonic music to homophonic. The new style, which originated in vocal music, was named monody--literally, "one song,", music for one singer with instrumental accompaniment. The term "baroque" was probably derived from the Portuguese barroco, a pearl of irregular shape much used in the jewelry of the time. The years 1600 - 1750 encompassed a period of change and adventure. Baroque music does not know the constant fluctuation of volume that marks later styles. The music moves at a fairly steady level of sonority. A passage uniformly loud will be followed by on uniformly soft, crating the effect of light and shade. One of the Composer's of the Baroque Period was:
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Not much of his early years is known. Apparently his parents were Thomas and Elizabeth Purcell and he is known to have had three brothers: Edward, who, after ten years as a 'gentleman usher daily waiter assistant', joined the army and had a distinguished career as an officer in Ireland, Flanders and Spain; Daniel, a composer and organist; and Joseph, who administered Daniel's estate.
As a boy Henry was a chorister in the Chapel Royal. Playford's Catch that Catch Can or The Musical Companion (1667) includes a three part song, Sweet Tyranness attributed to him. He was writing music at the age of eight. His voice broke at an unusually early age 1673 and he was appointed an unpaid assistant to John Hingeston who was in charge of king's keyboard and wind instruments. He acquired experience with tuning the organ at Westminster Abbey and got paid for copying books of organ parts. 1677 he was appointed composer-in-ordinary for the violins in succession to Matthew Locke and in 1679 succeeded John Blow as organist of Westminster Abbey. The new post entitled him to a salary and provided the rent of a house. It was 1680 or 1681 that he married. 1680 he wrote the first welcome song for Charles II and contributed music to the theatre first time. 14 July 1682 he succeeded Edward Lowe as one of the organists of the Chapel Royal, which meant that he was also a singer in the choir.
Other
compositions by Henry Purcell:
Fear no danger to ensue
(16K)
To the hills and the vales
(20K)
When I am laid in earth
(9K)
