The Purcell Manuscript

Artists

Album Info

Release Date: 1995

Label: Virgin Veritas

This disc contains the first performance of the Purcell manuscript found in 1993, now owned by the British Library.

The manuscript first came to light in November 1993 and provides the only example to survive of keyboard music written in Purcell's own hand. The Purcell section contains 21 pieces written on 22 pages; five of the pieces were entirely unknown; four others, arrangements for keyboard of his theatre music, were also not known before in this form; the remainder are known movements from his keyboard suites but even here the text often varies considerably from that given in their first publication (A choice collection of lessons for the harpsichord or spinnet published by his widow in 1696).

The rest of the manuscript contains music by Draghi, a colleague of Purcell who seems to have used the manuscript after Purcell died. Some of Draghi's music, too, is hitherto unknown and all is almost certainly autograph. It seems likely that the manuscript was used for teaching purposes.

On this recording, Davitt Moroney performs on single-manual instruments made by John Player in London in 1664, now in the Cobbe Collection at Hatchlands Park in Surrey.
Printed in USA.
Made in USA.