The Ashgate Research Companion to Henry Purcell

The "Ashgate Research Companion to Henry Purcell" provides a comprehensive and authoritative review of current research into Purcell and the world of Restoration music, with contributions from leading experts in the field. Seen from the perspective of modern, interdisciplinary approaches to scholarship, a composer research companion focussing on Purcell allows the reader to develop a rounded view of the environment in which Purcell lived, the people with whom he worked, the social conditions that influenced his activities, and the ways in which the modern perception of him has been affected by reception of his music after his death. In this sense the contributions do not privilege the individual over the environment: rather, they use the modern reader's familiarity with Purcell's music as a gateway into the broader Restoration world. Coverage includes the sources of Purcell's music and transmission; new ways of approaching the study of Purcell's techniques of composition; performance practice; theatre culture; texts and symbolism - both the political and social context, and reception history. The book will be essential reading for anyone studying the music and culture of the seventeenth century.