Born in London around 1659, died there on 21 November 1695; Henry Purcell was an English composer. As a boy he sang in the choir of the Chapel Royal; in 1679 he became organist of Westminster Abbey, and in 1682 of the Chapel Royal. His opera “Dido and Aeneas” (1689) achieves great dramatic intensity; it was followed by the semi-operas “King Arthur” (1691), “The Fairy Queen” (1692) and “The Indian Queen” (1695). He also wrote some 250 songs, twelve fantasias for viol consort and many anthems and services. On the gala recording Doc Heilein and Friends Gala 2021 – Joyful (2022) Nils Wanderer sings “The Cold Song”, the Cold Genius’s aria “What power art thou” from the third act of “King Arthur” to a text by John Dryden.
Henry Purcell
Composer
