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Henry Purcell (;〔Wells, J.C., ''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. Harlow, Essex: Longman. ISBN 0-582-36467-1〕 c. 10 September 1659〔According to Holman and Thompson (''Grove Music Online'', see References) there is uncertainty regarding the year and day of birth. No record of baptism has been found. The year 1659 is based on Purcell's memorial tablet in Westminster Abbey and the frontispiece of his ''Sonnata's of III. Parts'' (London, 1683). The day 10 September is based on vague inscriptions in the manuscript ''GB-Cfm 88''. It may also be relevant that he was appointed to his first salaried post on 10 September 1677, which would have been his eighteenth birthday.〕 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Although incorporating Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, Purcell's legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music. He is generally considered to be one of the greatest English composers; no other native-born English composer approached his fame until Edward Elgar. ==Early life and career== Purcell was born in St Ann's Lane, Old Pye Street Westminster – the area of London later known as Devil's Acre – in 1659. Henry Purcell Senior,〔Holman and Thompson (''Grove Music Online'', see References).〕 whose older brother Thomas Purcell (d. 1682) was also a musician, was a gentleman of the Chapel Royal and sang at the coronation of King Charles II of England.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Encyclopaedia Britannica : a dictionary of arts, sciences, literature and general information )〕 Henry the elder had three sons: Edward, Henry and Daniel. Daniel Purcell (d. 1717), the youngest of the brothers, was also a prolific composer who wrote the music for much of the final act of ''The Indian Queen'' after Henry Purcell's death. Henry Purcell's family lived just a few hundred yards west of Westminster Abbey from 1659 onwards.〔Zimmerman, Franklin. Henry Purcell 1659–1695 His Life and Times. (New York City: St. Martin’s Press Inc., 1967), 34.〕 After his father's death in 1664, Purcell was placed under the guardianship of his uncle Thomas who showed him great affection and kindness.〔Westrup, J. A. Purcell. (London: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd., 1975), 8.〕 Thomas was himself a gentleman of His Majesty's Chapel, and arranged for Henry to be admitted as a chorister. Henry studied first under Captain Henry Cooke (d. 1672),〔Burden, Michael. The Purcell Companion. (Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1995), 55.〕 Master of the Children, and afterwards under Pelham Humfrey (d. 1674), Cooke's successor.〔Burden, Michael. The Purcell Companion. (Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1995), 58.〕 Henry was a chorister in the Chapel Royal until his voice broke in 1673, when he became assistant to the organ-builder John Hingston, who held the post of keeper of wind instruments to the King.〔 Purcell is said to have been composing at nine years old, but the earliest work that can be certainly identified as his is an ode for the King's birthday, written in 1670.〔Zimmerman, Franklin. ''Henry Purcell 1659–1695 His Life and Times''. (New York City: St. Martin’s Press Inc., 1967), 29.〕 (The dates for his compositions are often uncertain, despite considerable research.) It is assumed that the three-part song ''Sweet tyranness, I now resign'' was written by him as a child.〔 After Humfrey's death, Purcell continued his studies under Dr John Blow. He attended Westminster School and in 1676 was appointed copyist at Westminster Abbey.〔 Henry Purcell's earliest anthem ''Lord, who can tell'' was composed in 1678. It is a psalm that is prescribed for Christmas Day and also to be read at morning prayer on the fourth day of the month.〔Zimmerman, Franklin. ''Henry Purcell 1659–1695 His Life and Times''. (New York City: St. Martin’s Press Inc., 1967), 65.〕 In 1679, he wrote songs for John Playford's ''Choice Ayres, Songs and Dialogues'' and an anthem, the name of which is unknown, for the Chapel Royal. From an extant letter written by Thomas Purcell we learn that this anthem was composed for the exceptionally fine voice of the Rev. John Gostling, then at Canterbury, but afterwards a gentleman of His Majesty's Chapel. Purcell wrote several anthems at different times for Gostling's extraordinary basso profondo voice, which is known to have had a range of at least two full octaves, from D below the bass staff to the D above it. The dates of very few of these sacred compositions are known; perhaps the most notable example is the anthem ''They that go down to the sea in ships.'' In gratitude for the providential escape of King Charles II from shipwreck, Gostling, who had been of the royal party, put together some verses from the Psalms in the form of an anthem and requested Purcell to set them to music. The challenging work opens with a passage which traverses the full extent of Gostling's range, beginning on the upper D and descending two octaves to the lower. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Henry Purcell」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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