St. Clement, Eastcheap. He afterwards became organist of St. Edmund the King, Lombard Street, and of St. John, Hackney. He died about 1750. Hawkins says Edward Purcell was a good organist, but his son a very indifferent one.
5. Frances, eldest daughter of Henry Purcell, the composer, was baptized in Westminster Abbey May 30, 1688. In 1706 her mother appointed her her residuary legatee and her executrix, when she should reach the age of 18. She proved the will July 6, 1706. She married, shortly after her mother's death, Leonard Welsted, Gent., poet and dramatist, and died 1724. Her only daughter, Frances, born 1708, died unmarried 1726. Her younger sister, Mary Peters, was baptized in Westminster Abbey, Dec. 10, 1693.[1] It is presumed that she survived her father, but predeceased her mother, as she is not named in the latter's will.
6. Daniel, the youngest son of Henry Purcell the elder, born probably about 1660, was also a musician, but from whom he received instruction is unknown. In 1688 he was appointed organist of Magdalen College, Oxford. In 1693 he composed the music for Thomas Yalden's Ode on St. Cecilia's Day, which was probably performed at Oxford. In 1695 he resigned his appointment at Magdalen College, and came to London. In 1696 he composed songs for Mary Pix's tragedy 'Ibrahim XII.' and Cibber's comedy 'Love's Last Shift,' and the masque in the fifth act of 'The Indian Queen.' In 1697 he composed the music for Powell and Verbruggen's opera 'Brutus of Alba,' Settle's opera 'The New World in the Moon,' and the instrumental music for D'Urfey's opera 'Cynthia and Endymion.' In 1698 he composed the songs in Gildon's tragedy 'Phaeton, or, The Fatal Divorce,' an Ode for the Princess Anne's birthday, and Bishop's Ode on St. Cecilia's Day. In 1699 he joined with Jeremiah Clark and Richard Leveridge in furnishing the music for Motteux's opera 'The Island Princess,' and also set Addison's second Ode on St. Cecilia's Day for Oxford. In 1700 he set Oldmixon's opera 'The Grove,' and gained the third of the four prizes given for the composition of Congreve's masque 'The Judgment of Paris,' the others being awarded to John Weldon, John Eccles, and Godfrey Finger. In 1701 he wrote the instrumental music for Catherine Trotter's tragedy 'The Unhappy Penitent,' and in 1702 that for Farquhar's comedy 'The Inconstant.' In 1707 he composed an Ode for St. Cecilia's Day, which was performed at St. Mary Hall, Oxford. In 1713 he was appointed organist of St. Andrew, Holborn, but was displaced in Feb. 1717. He published 'The Psalmes set full for the Organ or Harpsicord, as they are plaid in Churches and Chappels in the maner given out, as also with their Interludes of great Variety'; a very singular illustration of the manner in which metrical psalms were then performed. Six anthems by him are in the choir books of Magdalen College, and songs in 'The Banquet of Musick,' 1689; ' Thesaurus Musicus' and 'Delicise Musicae,' 1696; and 'Thesaurus Musicus,' circa 1750. He composed 'A Lamentation for the Death of Mr. Henry Purcell,' written by Tate, the words of which are prefixed to the 'Orpheus Britannicus.' He was also author of some sonatas for flute and bass and violin and bass. He died in 1718. He was held in great repute in his day as a punster.
7. Katherine, daughter of Henry Purcell the elder, was baptized in Westminster Abbey, March 13, 1662. She married in June 1691 the Rev. William Sale, of Sheldwich, Kent, and was her mother's administratrix, Sept. 7, 1699.
8. Thomas, brother to Henry Purcell the elder, was appointed Gentleman of the Chapel Royal in 1660. In 1661 he was lay vicar of Westminster Abbey and copyist. On Aug. 8, 1662, he was appointed, jointly with Pelham Humfrey, Composer in Ordinary for the Violins to His Majesty, and on Nov. 29 following, 'Musician in Ordinary for the Lute and Voice in the room of Henry Lawes, deceased.' In 1672 he was, with Humfrey, made Master of the King's Band of Music. He died July 31, and was buried in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey, Aug. 2, 1682. He had probably been long before in ill-health, as on May 15, 1681, he granted a power of attorney to his son Matthew to receive his salary as Gentleman of the Chapel Royal. He was the composer of the well-known Burial Chant and other chants.[2]
PURCELL CLUB, THE, was constituted at a meeting held in August 1836: the first members were Messrs. Turle (conductor), King, Bellamy, Fitzwilliam, J. W. Hobbs, and E. Hawkins (secretary). The club was limited to twenty professional and twenty non-professional members, who met twice a year; on the second Thursday in February, when they dined together, and on the last Thursday in July, when they assembled in Westminster Abbey, at the morning service, by permission of the Dean, for the purpose of assisting in such Purcell music as might be selected for the occasion. On the evening of the same day the members again met to perform secular music composed by Purcell; the soprano parts were sung by the chorister-boys from Westminster Abbey, the Chapel Royal, and St. Paul's Cathedral, but ladies were admitted amongst the audience.
On Feb. 27, 1842, a special meeting was held, when Professor Taylor was elected President, and the dates of meeting were changed to Jan. 30 and the first Thursday in July. Interesting performances of many of Purcell's works were given year by year, and a book of words of 194 pages was privately printed for the use of the members, under the editorship of Professor Taylor. The Club was dissolved in 1863, and the valuable library, which had been acquired
- ↑ One 'B. Peters' was one of the witnesses to Purcell's will; probably he was godfather to this girl.
- ↑ I am indebted to Colonel Chester's Westminster Abbey Registers for much of the family history contained in the above article, and I gladly avail myself of this opportunity of acknowledging my obligations to that gentleman for the very kind and ready manner in which he has furnished me with much valuable information on many other occasions.
