Fact and Fiction About Purcell

Extract

The purpose of this paper is to make one or two corrections and additions to the account of Purcell's life as it is normally presented in modern biographies and works of reference. I am quite prepared to admit that a composer's life is infinitely less important than his music; and this is particularly true of Purcell, who moved in a very limited circle and pursued a comparatively unadventurous career. For all that, I see no point in discussing music as though it appeared, so to speak, out of the blue without human agency or without any connection with human society. A knowledge of a composer's life may often help us to determine the chronology of his works and so provide us with valuable evidence for tracing the development of his style; and the conditions under which a man lives and works affect his artistic output by limiting or enlarging the scope of his activities. Not only individual character and genius account for the particular range and style of a man's music, but also environment and circumstances. And if we are going to make use of the facts of a composer's life, it is essential that our knowledge of them should be as accurate and complete as possible.