Composer of the Week, Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Purcell's London - Episode 1 of 5
Duration: 1 hour
He's remembered as Britain's 'musical Shakespeare', but when it comes to Purcell's life the biographer's job is not easy. With no fewer than four Edwards, four Katherines, three Elizabeths and three Thomases in his immediate family, Purcell's family tree offers a challenge for even the most intrepid genealogist.
Ever the brave explorer, Donald Macleod enters the fray to sift fact from fiction in the life of a musical revolutionary. It's a journey which has at its heart the story of a city. London in Purcell's time was, to the innocent eye, something of a Talibanesque cultural scene. Civil war had seen musical life ripped apart, and plague did its best to ravage any artistic activities which survived. Even secular music was on its knees with playhouses shut down and performers threatened with flogging for taking part in any dramatic...
Purcell's London - Episode 1 of 5
Duration: 1 hour
He's remembered as Britain's 'musical Shakespeare', but when it comes to Purcell's life the biographer's job is not easy. With no fewer than four Edwards, four Katherines, three Elizabeths and three Thomases in his immediate family, Purcell's family tree offers a challenge for even the most intrepid genealogist.
Ever the brave explorer, Donald Macleod enters the fray to sift fact from fiction in the life of a musical revolutionary. It's a journey which has at its heart the story of a city. London in Purcell's time was, to the innocent eye, something of a Talibanesque cultural scene. Civil war had seen musical life ripped apart, and plague did its best to ravage any artistic activities which survived. Even secular music was on its knees with playhouses shut down and performers threatened with flogging for taking part in any dramatic...