baroque music
Baroque music ( or ) refers to the period or dominant style of Western classical music composed from about 1600 to 1750. The Baroque style followed the Renaissance period, and was followed in turn by the Classical period after a short transiti ...
best known in the compositions of
Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer.
Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest E ...
and his contemporaries including his teacher
John Blow
John Blow (baptised 23 February 1649 – 1 October 1708) was an English composer and organist of the Baroque music, Baroque period. Appointed organist of Westminster Abbey in late 1668,continuo were enriched with
ritornelli
A ritornello (Italian; "little return") is a recurring passage (music), passage in Baroque music for orchestra or choir, chorus.
Early history
The earliest use of the term "ritornello" in music referred to the final lines of a fourteenth-century ...
for violins or a pair of
recorder
Recorder or The Recorder may refer to:
Newspapers
* ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper
* ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US
* ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...
s. Among the earliest symphony songs are four published by Oxford composer Henry Bowman in 1677. John Blow's most notable early example is "Awake, awake my lyre". The symphony song was a genre mainly linked to the
Restoration
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
* Restoration ecology
...
royal court
A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...
, just as the symphony anthem was linked to the English
Chapel Royal
The Chapel Royal is an establishment in the Royal Household serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the British Royal Family. Historically it was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarch. The term is now also applie ...
. Purcell's symphony songs were probably written for performance by members of the Private Music in the royal apartments. Peter Holman Henry Purcell - 1994 -- Page 47 "It is likely that Purcell's symphony songs were written to be performed by members of the Private Music in the royal apartments"
Examples of symphony songs include the symphony anthems of
Pelham Humfrey
Pelham Humfrey (''Humphrey, Humphrys'') (1647 in London – 14 July 1674 in Windsor) was an English composer. He was the first of the new generation of English composers at the beginning of the Restoration to rise to prominence.
Life and career
P ...
, and eight extant works by Purcell including "How pleasant is this flowery plain", "Go Perjured Man" and "If Ever I more Riches did Desire."
Recordings
*Henry Purcell ''Hark how the wild musicians sing - The Symphony Songs of Henry Purcell'' Red Byrd, The Parley of Instruments, Peter Holman. Hyperion.