Purcell's Dramatic Music

Extract

I have been asked to give some account of Purcell's “Dramatic Music.” This term is meant to include such of his stage works as are not of a sufficient scale to justify their being termed Operas. In the latter class are included “Dido and Æneas,” “Dioclesian,” “King Arthur,” “The Fairy Queen,” “Timon of Athens,” “The Indian Emperor,” and “The Tempest” These works therefore I shall not discuss. I may say also that I shall deal only with the musical side of this “Dramatic Music,” the editing of which for the Purcell Society has fallen to my lot. And this for two reasons, both very forcible ones. The first is that the dramatic point of view can be far better dealt with, when the operas are under consideration. For most of the music I have to deal with is really not dramatic at all. The second and even more convincing reason is that owing to an imperfect sympathy with stage matters I have not the requisite knowledge to deal with the subject, and it is better that I should leave it to more skilled hands.