Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Purcell, Daniel
PURCELL, DANIEL (1660?–1717), musical composer, was the youngest son of Henry Purcell the elder, and the brother of the great Henry Purcell [q. v.] He was organist of Magdalen College, Oxford, from 1688 to 1695, when he resigned his appointment in order to live in London. In 1693 he wrote music for Thomas Yalden's ‘Ode for St. Cecilia's Day.’ In 1696 he wrote music for Mary Pix's tragedy, ‘Ibrahim XIII,’ and possibly also for her ‘Spanish Wives,’ as well as for an anonymous piece called ‘Neglected Virtue, or the Unhappy Conqueror.’ In 1696, too, he composed an opera called ‘Brutus of Alba, or Augusta's Triumph,’ written by George Powell [q. v.] and John Verbruggen. The published songs bear the imprint 1696, but the piece was not produced till 1697. He also contributed songs to Lord Lansdowne's ‘She Gallants’ (1696), and to ‘The Triumphs of Virtue’ (anon. 1697). To D'Urfey's ‘Cynthia and Endymion’ he contributed in the latter year instrumental music, as well as the music, with Jeremiah Clarke, of Settle's opera, ‘The World in the Moon.’ In 1698 he wrote songs for Charles Gildon's ‘Phaeton, or the Fatal Divorce,’ Cibber's ‘Love makes a Man,’ and Lacy's curious alteration of the ‘Taming of a Shrew,’ called ‘Sawney the Scot,’ besides odes for the Princess Anne's birthday (6 Feb. 1697–8) and St. Cecilia's day, performed respectively in London and Oxford. Other odes for St. Cecilia's day followed in later years. A lamentation for the death of his brother Henry was set by him to words by Nahum Tate before 1698. In 1699 his only theatrical work seems to have been the music for Motteux's opera, ‘The Island Princess,’ with J. Clarke and Leveridge. In 1700 he wrote songs for a piece by J. Oldmixon, called ‘The Grove, or Love's Paradise,’ and won the third of the four prizes offered by ‘several persons of quality’ (among others the Earl of Halifax) for musical settings of Congreve's ‘Judgment of Paris’ [see Finger, Godfrey]. The compositions of Eccles, winner of the second prize, and Purcell were printed. At the same time Purcell wrote music for Farquhar's ‘Constant Couple,’ D'Urfey's ‘Masaniello,’ ‘The Pilgrim’ (a revival of Beaumont and Fletcher, with additions by Dryden), Burnaby's ‘Reformed Wife,’ and Cibber's ‘Careless Husband.’ In 1701, for a revival of Lee's ‘Rival Queens, or the Death of Alexander the Great,’ Purcell provided some of the numbers. Finger had previously written part of the music—i.e. acts ii. and iv., a symphony for four flutes, and the finale to act v. Purcell contributed songs to Baker's ‘Humours of the Age’ and Mrs. Trotter's ‘Unhappy Penitent’ [see Cockburn, Catharine] in the same year. In 1702 Steele's ‘Funeral’ seems to have been the only play for which he wrote music. The same author's ‘Tender Husband’ and Farquhar's ‘Inconstant’ represent the composer's work for 1703; in the following year, for the opening of the theatre in the Haymarket built by Vanbrugh (9 April 1705), he wrote an ‘opera’ on ‘Orlando Furioso,’ to a libretto translated from the Italian (advertisement in the Diverting Post, 28 Oct. 1704). In March 1706–7 he contributed music to Farquhar's ‘Beaux' Stratagem,’ and later in the same year a St. Cecilia ode by Purcell was performed at St. Mary Hall, Oxford. Reference is made to a masque by Purcell, called ‘Orpheus and Eurydice,’ in the ‘Muses Mercury,’ 1707. Music was also written by Purcell for J. Hughes's ‘Amalasont,’ D'Urfey's ‘The Bath’ and ‘The Campaigners,’ Motteux's ‘Younger Brother,’ and a revival of ‘Macbeth,’ to none of which were dates attached.
On 3 April 1712 Purcell gave a concert at Stationers' Hall ‘of vocal and instrumental musick entirely new, and all parts to be perform'd with the greatest excellence’ (advertisement in Spectator, No. 340, for 31 March 1712). Among the instrumental compositions performed on that occasion may very probably have been some of the six sonatas of three parts, or the sonatas for flute and bass, both of which were published.
From 1713 Purcell was organist of St. Andrew's, Holborn. The only evidence of his death is in an advertisement in the ‘Daily Courant,’ 12 Dec. 1717, inserted by Edward Purcell, ‘only son to the famous Mr. Henry Purcell,’ who was a candidate for the post of organist, ‘in the room of his uncle, Mr. Daniel Purcell, deceased.’ After his death there appeared his ‘Six Cantatas for a Voice, … two of which are accompanied with a Violin. Compos'd after the Italian manner’; and ‘the Psalmes set full for the Organ or Harpsicord, as they are Plaid in Churches.’
Daniel Purcell's music is so deeply tinged with the style of his illustrious brother that it would be exceedingly difficult to distinguish it from his on internal evidence alone. It is naturally a mere reflection, without creative genius; but it certainly does not deserve the sneer with which Hawkins refers to it. The historian repeats the tradition that Purcell was a famous punster.
[Grove's Dict. of Music. iii, 52; Bloxam's Reg. of Magdalen College; Bursar's Accounts of the College, examined by the Rev. W. D. Macray; Cummings's Life of (Henry) Purcell (Great Musicians Ser.); Companion to the Playhouse; Catalogue of the Music in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; Brit. Mus. Cat.; compositions printed and in manuscript in British Museum, Royal College of Music, &c.]