Henry Purcell – English Sacred Music at Westminster Abbey

Henry Purcell, nicknamed the “Orpheus Britannicus,” was one of the greatest English Baroque composers and a defining figure in British sacred music of the seventeenth century.

Born into a family of musicians, the son of Henry Purcell Senior (Master of the Choristers at Westminster and a member of the Chapel Royal), the young Purcell joined the Chapel Royal as a chorister at an early age. Trained in particular by Pelham Humfrey, he composed an Ode for Charles II as early as 1670. He was appointed Composer in Ordinary for the Violins of the Chapel Royal in 1677, and then Organist of Westminster Abbey in 1679, a position he held until his premature death in 1695.

A Major Sacred Repertoire in the Service of the English Crown
Under the reigns of Charles II, James II and William III, Purcell played a central role in English religious musical life. His sacred music, written for the Chapel Royal and Westminster Abbey, combines spiritual depth, Italianate virtuosity and French grandeur.

Among his masterpieces are:

• The Ode for St Cecilia, Hail! Bright Cecilia (1692)
• The Te Deum and Jubilate (1694)
• Numerous anthems and works for royal ceremonies, including coronations, birthdays and the funeral of Queen Mary
• The sumptuous funeral music composed for Queen Mary II

Purcell profoundly renewed the English tradition by incorporating Italian expressiveness and the nobility of the great French motets, while preserving a uniquely British musical identity.

The Académie de l’Opéra Royal de Versailles, conducted and accompanied on the organ by Chloé de Guillebon, will perform a selection of Purcell’s finest sacred works, recreating the solemn and luminous atmosphere of Westminster Abbey.

An exceptional concert paying tribute to one of the greatest geniuses of English Baroque music.

Henry Purcell – English Sacred Music at Westminster Abbey

• Hear my prayer, O God – Henry Purcell

• I will love thee, O Lord – Henry Purcell

• Out of the deep – Henry Purcell

• The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation – Henry Purcell

• Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets – Henry Purcell

• Turn thou us, O good Lord – Henry Purcell

• In guilty night – Henry Purcell

• An Evening Hymn – Henry Purcell

• O God, thou art my God – Henry Purcell