Sunday, July 17, 2011

Henry Purcell - Trumpet Voluntary

We had a brass quartet to do the music at our wedding.  They played this:

It was spectacular.

It's by far Purcell's most famous composition, and we were by no means the only ones who had it at their weddings.  Purcell was enormously influential in his day (the late 17th century).  While his career was short (he died at only 36), he blazed brightly.  His talent was seen as so extraordinary that his music teacher resigned his post as organist at Westminster Abbey so that Purcell could take over.

Unsurprisingly, his mortal remains are interred there in the Abbey.  You'll find him next to the organ.

His influence extends to our day.  He inspired The Who, and you can hear an echo of Purcell in the opening bars of Pinball Wizard.

The Victorian poet Gerard Manley Hopkins penned a sonnet titled, simply, "Henry Purcell".  It opens with a headnote which can only be seen as a thank you note, down through the ages:


It is the forgèd feature finds me; it is the rehearsal


The thunder-purple seabeach plumèd purple-of-thunder,
May your Sunday morning be equally spectacular.

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