The Great Musicians: Purcell

by William Hayman Cummings

Cooke composed a considerable number of pieces of music for various royal and festal occasions; one curious hymn for a ceremony in connection with a festival service of the Knights of the Garter at Windsor was accompanied by "two double sackbuts and two double courtals placed at convenient distances among the classes of the gentlemen of both choirs, to the end that all might distinctly hear, and consequently keep together both in time and tune; for one sackbut and courtal was placed before the four petty canons who begun the hymn, and the other two immediately before the prebends of the college."

Captain Cooke's services were frequently required on the stage,[11] and with his many accomplishments there is no great wonder that he became conceited. Pepys, from whom so many quotations have already been made, wrote: "A vain coxcomb he is, though he sings so well;" and this charge of vanity is supported by other evidence. A contemporary historian says: "Captain Cooke was the best musician of his time till Mr. Pelham Humphreys, one of the children of the chapel educated by himself, began to rival him, after which he died with great discontent."[12]

Cooke was buried in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey in July, 1672. During the years that he was master of the children of the chapel he had as pupils many who won for themselves distinguished names as musicians, amongst them notably Pelham Humphreys, Wise, Blow, Turner, and Purcell.

Purcell profited by Captain Cooke's instructions for a period of eight years—from the age of six to that of fourteen, a very important time in the life of a clever boy. Historians seem to have forgotten this fact, and have been disposed to credit the whole of Purcell's musical education to Pelham Humphreys or to Dr. Blow.

During these early years Purcell had already put forth specimens of his talent for musical composition. In 1667 Playford published a little three-part song entitled, "Sweet Tyraness, I now resign," which Dr. Burney has included in his history under the supposition that it was composed by Purcell's father; but there is reason to believe that it was the composition of the boy who, at the date of publication, was nine years of age. Possibly the music was originally intended as an air or song for a single voice, as we find it published in this form in 1678, in a work called New Ayres and Dialogues. This collection contained five other songs by Henry Purcell.

When Purcell was eleven years old, he essayed his powers in the composition of music for a piece called "The Address of the Children of the Chapel Royal to the King, and their Master, Captain Cooke, on his Majesties Birthday, A.D. 1670, composed by Master Purcell, one of the Children of the said Chapel."[13] It is also probable that in this youthful time Purcell composed the music to Macbeth, now commonly associated with the name of Matthew Locke. That the latter did compose music for Macbeth is certain, as some of it is still in existence, but it does not bear the slightest resemblance to that popularly known as his. In favour of Purcell, it may be noted that the Macbeth music has many Purcell-like touches; that a copy of the score in Purcell's youthful hand is in existence;[14] that many old MS. copies of the music have his name attached as composer; and that he was entitled to the credit of it was believed by Dr. William Hayes, Dr. Philip Hayes, Dr. Arnold, and many other eminent musicians.

The music itself is clearly an elaboration and development of a series of short movements composed by Robert Johnson for Middleton's play of The Witch.[15]

It must not be forgotten that many of Purcell's anthems now in use in our cathedrals were the product of his youthful pen and genius whilst he was still a pupil of Cooke. Captain Cooke, the soldier musician, died, as previously stated, in 1672, and was succeeded in his appointment as "Master of the Children of the Chapel" by one whose nature, genius, and scientific knowledge of music must have stimulated and excited in a special manner the dawning powers of the youthful musical company committed to his charge, and the force of whose example must have proved of the greatest service to Purcell. This man was Pelham Humphreys;[16] he had been educated in the Chapel Royal under Captain Cooke, where his abilities and his personal attractions made a strong impression on Charles II. In Nov., 1663, Pepys made the following entry in his Diary: "The anthem was good after sermon, being the fifty-first psalme, made for five voices, by one of Captain Cooke's boys—a pretty boy. And they say there are four or five of them that can do as much. And here I first perceived that the king is musicall, and kept good time with his hand all along the anthem."

The pretty boy was undoubtedly Pelham Humphreys. Clifford's book of anthems, published in 1664, the year after the incident just recorded, contains the words of five anthems, "composed by Pelham Humphrey, one of the Children of His Majesties Chappel;" and in Boyce's Cathedral Music we find Humphreys' anthem, "Have mercy upon me," the words of which are taken from the fifty-first psalm. There can be little doubt, therefore, that this was the very anthem heard and approved by Pepys.

In 1664 the king sent Humphreys to Paris,[17] to study under Lully; and he also probably went to Italy. During his absence the king gave him an appointment as one of the Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal; and on his return to London in October, 1667, he was "sworn in" to the place. He speedily produced several new compositions, sacred and secular, by command of the king.