Is this the Greatest English Work of the 17th Century? Composer Insights
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Rating: 3.3; Vote: 3
The famous Dido s Lament from Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell. Features of Purcell s style are unpacked and the word painting & emotional life of the music are explored. A Ground Bass is repeated 11 times, while the melodic line and harmony are varied.
The chromatic nature of the bass combines with harmony that is evocative of a later period resulting in a powerful and emotional setting that makes this perhaps the most remarkable English piece of the Seventeenth Century.
Dan: I've heard it said Purcell was such a figure in English music that there wasn't another half decent English composer until the 19th Century. And that, Elgar, isn't in the same boat at all. Date: 2022-04-11
