Henry Purcell, Sonata for Trumpet in D

(1659-1695)

Henry Purcell, composer, organist, and son of Henry Purcell senior, was one of the most important 17th-century composers and one of the greatest of all English composers. Living in Westminster, London from birth to death, he had a large influence throughout Baroque’s English sacred and theatrical music. Though Purcell’s music devised a markedly Baroque English style, he incorporated Italian and French stylistic elements as well. Though it is difficult to know with certainty when Purcell’s compositions were written, Purcell is said to have been composing at nine years of age. This is because the earliest work that can be certainly identified as his is an Ode for the King’s birthday, written in 1670. His first printed composition, Twelve Sonatas, was published in 1683. Purcell’s Sonata for trumpet in D was probably written between 1690 and1695. Like many composers, Purcell held other positions, such as his appointment as organist of the Chapel Royal and Westminster Abbey. Purcell’s reputation was so strong that for many years a popular wedding processional was incorrectly attributed to him as the so-called Purcell’s Trumpet Voluntary. However, it was actually written around 1700 by a British composer named Jeremiah Clarke as the Prince of Denmark’s March. The cause of Purcell’s death is unclear: one theory is that he caught a chill after returning late from the theatre one night to find that his wife had locked him out; another is that he succumbed to chocolate poisoning; the most likely explanation is that he died of tuberculosis. In any case, he is still remembered and his style continues to influence music.