*Cough*  Anyone fancy having a wee chat about Purcell?

Well, I have a specific question actually; on the Hyperion recordings, in the aria "Mark how readily each pliant string" in "Raise, raise the voice" (which is an especially ravishing song, even by Purcell's standards), there's a weird quiver whenever she gets to the line "mark how readily each pliant string prepares itself", on the "prepares"; when I first heard it I thought it must have been some odd slip, excepting that she repeats it when the line comes again. So, I was left thinking "hmm", and wondering if this was something that people just did back then (rarely enough that I would not have noticed it except in this song).

As for my favourite Things By Purcell, off the top of my head I'd probably go for stuff from Come ye sons of art ("strike the viol" having to have one of the most strikingly sensuous lines this side of anywhere to my twenty-first century ears!), also several aires from the Indian queen that I quite like; have to say I quite like wee Daniel's addenda, especially "my honey my pug", as an inspired setting of an inspired verse : )

(I can't get into what sample of Handel's vocal stuff I've tried listen to though, which does frustrate me quite a lot.  Any year now, though, I'm sure I will.)

Purcell wrote so much marvellous music. I love discovering his work and his "Music, for a while" is one of my favourite songs. I'm not sure about the "quiver" increpatio mentions, except that a lot of baroque music is very richly ornamented in various ways. My first (conscious) encounter with Henry Purcell's music was the funeral music for Queen Mary, and the theme from Abdelazer that Britten used in his Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra is also an established favourite with me.

IMO Daniel Purcell is not at all off-topic. I have only just begun exploring what I can find of his music. Opinions and recommendations welcome.

Thank you for your opinion, Catherine. It may be helpful to me in terms of buying some CD with harpsichord music of Purcell. I have a music score at home, but probably should listen to someone who knows what he/she is doing because I did not mane much progress on my own.

The fact that you find it interesting will stimulate my interest.

Not sure if I'm familiar with that; might have to check it up.

I had a singer-friend listen to the recording for me, and she insists that they odd thing I heard was some sort of superhuman sort of turn.  Actually, bugger it! I'm going to hop down to the library and check the score.

Reiner, would you recommend any particular recordings of Daniel?  As I mentioned in my first post, I rather like his postlude to the Indian Queen.

T-p; I personally have not listened to too much of his religious music yet - the main piece that I would know would be "Man, that is born of a woman" that is quite moving.

Bother! (said Pooh, as he chambered another round). You've just reminded me of another favourite, Jan. Dido's lament. For some reason, when I sit down to do a bit of completely aimless tootling, Dido's lament and "Fortune My Foe" are among the first things that spring to mind/fingers.

Perhaps more "occasional" than "religious", but nonetheless his magnificently sombre "Funeral Music for Queen Mary" is well worth your time.  By sad irony, of course, it was subsequently played at Purcell's own funeral just months later.  There is a nice recording on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Henry-Purcell-Funeral-Sacred-Dioclesian/dp/B0007WFXF8/ref=sr_1_31/202-2847483-5935825?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1178039410&sr=1-31 for less than four quid from "Amazon Sellers".

Daniel Purcell's appearance on disc is really scandalously poor - I'm not away of any of his major operas or masques having been recorded at all  (in fact most of them haven't even been reprinted since the C17th, so there aren't even performing editions to work from).   One disk worth hearing (which is unfortunately a "best of", but there is little else around) is http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brotherly-Love-Music-Daniel-Purcell/dp/B00004TY9H/ref=pd_bowtega_3/202-2847483-5935825?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1178039288&sr=1-3

Incrapatio in the first post mentioned the comparison with Handel.  Any thoughts about the differences and similarities between H Purcell and G F Handel?

(Just a thought.  I know centuries are arbitrary periods, but Purcell was writing in the same century as late Shakespeare, and Handel in the same century as early Beethoven.  Is the English Civil War as great a cultural watershed as the French Revolution, or does it just seem that way this side of la Manche?)