Henry Purcell (1659-1695)

The collection of songs by Henry Purcell entitled Orpheus Britannicus is in two volumes, published in 1698 and 1702 respectively. These include solo songs, duets and dialogues, and some songs for 3 voices. The publisher, Henry Playford, describes the two volumes as "A/Collection/of all/the Choicest SONGS/for/One, Two and Three Voices/ Compos'd /By Mr. Henry Purcell". None of the songs are long pieces; many were originally written for the stage, either as operatic songs or incidental music to a play, and so most of them had been published previously. Orpheus must have enjoyed moderately successful sales. The first volume ran to a second edition in 1702, and the second in 1711: both were reprinted in 1721. Frances Purcell, in dedicating the first volume to Lady Howard, pays tribute to Sir Robert Howard, whose "Excellent Compositions were the Subject of his [Purcell's] last and best Performance in Musick". Robert Howard was co-author with John Dryden of The Indian Queen, performed in the year of Purcell's death.


The Songs in the Three Plays of Don Quixote
The Songs in the Three Plays of Don Quixote
Four Dialogues - I
Four Dialogues - II
In all our Cinthia's shining Sphear
Four Duets
Two Songs with Flutes
Three Songs with Hautboys
In Guilty Night (Z.134)
O, O let me Weep!
The Four SEASONS in the Fairy Queen
Songs for bass solo
See where she sits
Raise, raise the Voice
Two Songs on a ground
Circe (Z 575)
Circe (Z 575)
Three Songs with Flutes