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4 musicians: countertenor,  oboe / recorder, viola da gamba & harpsichord / recorder

Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Musick for a while from Oedipus, Z. 583
Hornpipe from The Old Bachelor, Z. 607
Entry Dance from The Fairy Queen, Z. 629
Rondeau from The Fairy Queen, Z. 629
When Orpheus from Celestial Music did the Gods inspire, Z. 322
Almand, Corant & Hornpipe from harpsichord suite in d, Z. 642
Hornpipe from The Fairy Queen, Z. 629

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I wandered lonely as a cloud from William Wordsworth
Oh Solitude from Comes Amoris, Z. 406
Second act tune: Air from The Fairy Queen, Z. 629

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Triosonata with recorder, discant gamba, & continuo in d from, Z.806, 809 & 796
Adagio, Canzona, Largo, Vivace, Largo, Vivace, Adagio

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Daniel Purcell (ca. 1664 – 1717)
Sound the Trumpet (D) from Wellcome glorious day, H409
Now sooth our joy (d) from Wellcome glorious day, H409

Henry Purcell
Prelude in d minor, Z.773

Daniel Purcell
Sonata seconda for fluto solo in d 

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Daniel Purcell
Aire I, Aire II, Bore, Slow air from The Unhappy Penitent 

Henry Purcell
Her charming strains from Celestial Music did the Gods inspire, Z. 322

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Tobias Hume (ca. 1569-1645)
Tickle me quickly
Touch me lightly 

Henry Purcell
A new Ground in e from Welcome to all pleasures, Z. T682 

Henry Purcell
Strike the viol, touch the lute from Come ye sons of Art, Z. 323

After a politically unstable period, with a civil war (1642-1649) and the dictatorship of Oliver Cromwell during which the theatres were closed (1649-1658), Henry Purcell was born in 1659 under an auspicious star: the monarchy under King Charles II was restored, and the music business was once again flourishing. Purcell benefited from the various influences that filtered into England. First, the French, resulting from the king’s exile at the court of Louis XIV, and then the Italian, which began to dominate throughout Europe. The dances or dance-related pieces, such as Air, Rondeau, Allemande and Courante, were generally French, especially in musical theater and keyboard suites. The Hornpipe, on the other hand, was a typical English dance with a spirited rhythm. A structural principle borrowed from France that Purcell mastered like no other was the basso ostinato technique, which was based around a continually repeated bass line and known in England as a ground. Masterful examples of this are the songs Musick for a while, Oh solitude and Her charming strains, three songs that evoke a typically English melancholy atmosphere, as well as A new Groundd from an ode in honour of Saint Cecilia. From Daniel Purcell (c. 1664-1717), Henry’s brother, there is the ground Now sooth our joy from an ode for Princess Anne’s birthday. Freer in scope is Henry’s song with strings When Orpheus sang, an ode to the power of music. The dance prevails in the breezy song Strike the viol, touch the lute from the ode Come ye sons of Art – this was the last musical birthday gift Purcell offered to Queen Mary in 1694, and she died shortly thereafter. He himself died prematurely in 1695. Purcell’s irresistible (and often intensely moving) melodic invention came largely from Italian influences. His contemporary Henry Playford aptly wrote the following characterization: “He was particularly admir’d for Vocal Musick, having a peculiar genius to express the energy of the English Words, whereby he moved the Passions as well as caus’d admiration in all his Auditors.” The Italian instrumental genres also enjoyed success in England, especially the solo and trio sonata. This form’s alternation between slow (Largo, Adagio) and fast (Vivace) movements allowed for a rich variety of emotions, something that was expected of a composer in the Baroque period.

Ignace Bossuyt
Translation: Evan Buttar

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