Orpheus Britannicus

Last updated
Orpheus Britannicus
Purcell Orpheus Britannicus, first edition 1698, title-page.jpg
Title-page of the first edition, London: Henry Playford, 1698
Author Henry Purcell
Country Kingdom of Great Britain
LanguageEnglish
Genredomestic vocal music
PublishedVolume I
  • London, 1698: Henry Playford; printed by John Heptinstall
  • London, 1706, second edition: John Young; printed by William Pearson
  • London, 1706, second edition: John Cullen; printed by William Pearson
  • London, 1721, third edition: S.H., John Young; printed by William Pearson

Volume II

  • London, 1702: Henry Playford; printed by William Pearson
  • London, 1711, second edition: S.H., John Young, John Cullen; printed by William Pearson
  • London, 1712, second edition: S.H., John Young; printed by William Pearson
Portrait of Purcell engraved by Robert White after Closterman, as in the first edition of 1698 Purcell portrait.jpg
Portrait of Purcell engraved by Robert White after Closterman, as in the first edition of 1698
Title-page of the second edition of volume I, London: William Pearson 1706 Orpheus Britannicus.jpg
Title-page of the second edition of volume I, London: William Pearson 1706

Orpheus Britannicus is a collection of songs by Henry Purcell, published posthumously in London in two volumes, the first in 1698 and the second in 1702. In the preface to the first volume Henry Playford, the printer of the volume and the son of the music publisher John Playford, praises Purcell's setting of English texts. [1]

The frontispiece portrait is an engraving by Robert White from a painting by or after the studio of John Closterman, now in the National Portrait Gallery in London. [2] [3] [4]

History

The first volume of Orpheus Britannicus was published in 1698 by Henry Playford; [5] :63 it was printed by John Heptinstall using an improved movable type he had invented, which allowed for beaming of quavers and shorter notes. [6] A second volume, " ... the second book, which renders the first compleat ...", was published by Playford in 1702; [5] :63 it and all subsequent editions were printed by William Pearson using a font similar to Heptinstall's, but smaller and neater. [6]

An expanded second edition of the first volume was published in 1706 in two printings, one by John Young and one by John Cullen; a third edition was published by 'S.H.' and John Young in 1721. [5] :63 A second edition of the second volume was published by 'S.H.', John Young and John Cullen in 1711, and again by 'S.H.' and John Young in 1712. [5] :63 Various volumes were published under this name by John Walsh between about 1730 and 1747; at least one of them was a collection of single-sheet editions of songs from the early years of the eighteenth century. [5] :63 [7] :280

The first publication of a section of Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas was the air "Ah! Belinda" in Orpheus Britannicus, transposed up one step, from C to D. [8]

Henry Hall, who had studied composition with Purcell under John Blow, wrote the dedicatory poems at the beginning of each volume, (1698 and 1702) and also wrote one for Blow's Amphion Anglicus. [9]

Amphion Anglicus, a collection of songs, excerpts from odes and chamber music by John Blow, was published in 1700 in emulation of Orpheus Britannicus'. [10]

A later engraver, Benjamin Cole (fl 1740–1760), printed as Orpheus Britannicus a seemingly unrelated set of engravings which he had made originally for The New Universal Magazine (1751–1759). [11]

Benjamin Britten, working with Peter Pears, realised (arranged) and edited a number of songs from Orpheus Britannicus for both solo singer with piano as part of Britten's Purcell Realizations . [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Purcell</span> English composer (1659–1695)

Henry Purcell was an English composer of Baroque music.

<i>Dido and Aeneas</i> Opera by Purcell

Dido and Aeneas is an opera in a prologue and three acts, written by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell with a libretto by Nahum Tate. The dates of the composition and first performance of the opera are uncertain. It was composed no later than July 1688, and had been performed at Josias Priest's girls' school in London by the end of 1689. Some scholars argue for a date of composition as early as 1683. The story is based on Book IV of Virgil's Aeneid. It recounts the love of Dido, Queen of Carthage, for the Trojan hero Aeneas, and her despair when he abandons her. A monumental work in Baroque opera, Dido and Aeneas is remembered as one of Purcell's foremost theatrical works. It was also Purcell's only true opera, as well as his only all-sung dramatic work. One of the earliest known English operas, it owes much to John Blow's Venus and Adonis, both in structure and in overall effect.

Manfred Fritz Bukofzer was a German-born American musicologist.

Fretwork is a British consort of viols, established in 1985. It specialises in English music for viol consort from approximately the time of William Byrd to that of Henry Purcell, but also performs Renaissance and contemporary repertoire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Division viol</span>

The division viol is an English type of bass viol, which was originally popular in the mid-17th century, but is currently experiencing a renaissance of its own due to the movement for historically informed performance. John Playford mentions the division viol in his A Brief Introduction of 1667, describing it as smaller than a consort bass viol, but larger than a lyra viol.

"Flow, my tears" is a lute song by the accomplished lutenist and composer John Dowland (1563–1626). Originally composed as an instrumental under the name "Lachrimae pavane" in 1596, it is Dowland's most famous ayre, and became his signature song, literally as well as metaphorically: he would occasionally sign his name "Jo: dolandi de Lachrimae".

George Michael Sinclair Kennedy CBE was an English music critic and author who specialized in classical music. For nearly two decades he was the chief classical music critic for both The Daily Telegraph (1986–2005) and The Sunday Telegraph (1989–2005). A prolific writer, he was the biographer of many composers and musicians, including Vaughan Williams, Elgar, Barbirolli, Mahler, Strauss, Britten, Boult and Walton. Other notable publications include writings on various musical institutions, the editing of music dictionaries as well as numerous articles for The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and the subsequent Grove Music Online.

<i>Le Juif polonais</i> 1900 opera in three acts by Camille Erlanger

Le Juif polonais is a 1900 opera in three acts by Camille Erlanger composed to a libretto by Henri Caïn.

Carl Michael Alfred Steinberg was an American music critic and author who specialized in classical music. He was best known, according to San Francisco Chronicle music critic Joshua Kosman, for "the illuminating, witty and often deeply personal notes he wrote for the San Francisco Symphony's program booklets, beginning in 1979." He contributed several entries to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, wrote articles for music journals and magazine, notes for CDs, and published a number of books on music, both collected published annotations and new writings.

<i>Early Music</i> (journal) Academic journal

Early Music is a peer-reviewed academic journal specialising in the study of early music. It was established in 1973 and is published quarterly by Oxford University Press. The co-editors are Alan Howard, Elizabeth Eva Leach Stephen Rose.

Britten's Purcell Realizations is a common name for compositions for voice and piano by Benjamin Britten which are arrangements of works by Henry Purcell. Boosey & Hawkes published 45 of them, titled The Purcell Collection – Realizations by Benjamin Britten. A recording of 40 of them, Purcell Songs Realised by Britten, was released in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noël Goodwin</span> English arts critic and author (born 1927–2013)

Trevor Noël Goodwin was an English music critic, dance critic and author who specialized in classical music and ballet. Described as having a "rare ability to write about music and dance with equal distinction", for 22 years Goodwin was Chief music and dance critic for the Daily Express. He held criticism posts at many English newspapers, including the News Chronicle, Truth and The Manchester Guardian among others; from 1978 to 1998 he also reviewed performances for The Times. Goodwin wrote an early history of the Scottish Ballet and was coauthor for two books: London Symphony: Portrait of an Orchestra with Hubert J. Foss and a Knight at the Opera with Geraint Evans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Hudson (composer)</span> English Baroque composer

George Hudson was an English violinist, lutenist, singer, and composer of Baroque music.

References

  1. Peter Holman, Robert Thompson (2001). Purcell, Henry (ii): 2. Domestic vocal music. Grove Music Online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.6002278249. (subscription required).
  2. Henry Purcell: by or after studio of John Closterman. London: National Portrait Gallery. Accessed February 2024.
  3. Henry Purcell: by Robert White, after John Closterman. London: National Portrait Gallery. Accessed February 2024.
  4. Peter Holman, Robert Thompson (2001). Purcell, Henry (ii): 8. Portraits. Grove Music Online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.6002278249. (subscription required).
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Karlheinz Schlager (editor) (1978). Einzeldrucke vor 1800, volume 7, Plowden–Schreyer. Répertoire international des sources musicales, part A:i/7. Kassel; Basel; Tours; London: Bärenreiter. ISBN   3761805683.
  6. 1 2 Stanley Boorman, Eleanor Selfridge-Field, Donald W. Krummel (2001). Printing and Publishing of Music: I. Printing: 3. Printing from type (ii) Early History. Grove Music Online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.40101. (subscription required).
  7. William C. Smith, Charles Humphries (1968). A bibliography of the musical works published by the firm of John Walsh during the years 1721-1766. London: The Bibliographical Society.
  8. Dido and Aeneas
  9. Bruce Wood (2001). Hall, Henry (i). Grove Music Online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.12229. (subscription required).
  10. Bruce Wood (2001). Blow, John. Grove Music Online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.03306. (subscription required).
  11. Stanley Boorman (2001). Cole, Benjamin. Grove Music Online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.06070. (subscription required).
  12. Britten