In 1687 Purcell had another son born who was named Henry, but he survived only two months, and was buried with his kindred in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey. Purcell composed another "Ode in honour of King James," commencing "Sound the trumpet, beat the drum," in which occurs a duet to the words, "Let Cæsar and Urania live;" this became so great a favourite that succeeding composers were wont to insert it in their own royal birthday odes. This practice continued till the close of the succeeding century.
About this time Purcell composed a "March" and a "Quickstep," which soon became popular and familiar to the soldiers; a short time afterward some one, probably Lord Wharton, the Irish Viceroy, with much foresight and wisdom, selected the tune of the "Quickstep" as a vehicle for making known the absurd verses of the song called "Lillibullero." Thanks to the music, the song spread like wildfire, with the result described by Bishop Burnet, who says, "A foolish ballad was made at that time, treating the Papists, and chiefly the Irish, in a very ridiculous manner, which had a burden said to be Irish words, 'Lero, lero, lillibullero,' that made an impression on the army that cannot be imagined by those that saw it not. The whole army, and at last the people, both in city and country, were singing it perpetually, and perhaps never had so slight a thing so great an effect." The Viceroy "boasted that the song had sung a deluded Prince out of the three kingdoms." Other testimony speaks of the song "having contributed not a little towards the great Revolution of 1688."
The earliest existing printed copies of these tunes are dated 1686, but he reprinted the "Quickstep" in 1689, under the title of "A new Irish tune," in a work called Musick's Handmaid for the Virginals or Harpsichord; and he again used the tune as a ground-bass to a piece of incidental music in the play of The Gordian Knot Unty'd. The music of "Lillibullero" remains in use to this day in the north of Ireland as a political and party tune, but its use is discontinued by our military bands out of respect for the feelings of our Irish Roman Catholic brethren.
In 1687 Henry Playford published A Pastoral Elegy on the Death of Mr. John Playford, the Words by Mr. Tate, set to Musick by Mr. Henry Purcell. It has commonly been believed that this was an elegy on "honest John," as he was familiarly called, but in truth it was in memory of the youngest son of the celebrated old publisher. We have no particulars of his death, but judging from the words of the elegy it must have occurred suddenly:—
"Then waste no more in sighs your breath,
Nor think his fate was hard;
There's no such thing as sudden death
To those that always are prepar'd."
This John Playford was only twenty-one years of age when he died; he had commenced business as a music publisher, and would seem to have been remarkable for amiability and piety.
In January, 1688, Purcell, by virtue of his office as "composer in ordinary to his Majesty," received instructions from the King, James II., to compose an anthem to be performed at the Chapel Royal on the 25th of that month, a day which was commanded to be observed as a general thanksgiving in London and twelve miles round, in consequence of the supposed pregnancy of the Queen. As news travelled but slowly in those days, places beyond the radius named were commanded to keep the 29th as a day of joyful thanksgiving. For the occasion Purcell wrote the anthem commencing, "Blessed are they that fear the Lord;" it is scored for the usual solo voices and chorus, with accompaniments for the organ and quartet of strings.