The Great Musicians: Purcell

by William Hayman Cummings

In May, 1688, Purcell had a daughter born; she was baptized in Westminster Abbey, receiving the name of Frances. This child attained to years of maturity, surviving both her father and her mother.

This year was a troublous one; the political horizon was black, and the national fortunes were in great jeopardy, people had small time or inclination for public amusements, but Purcell contributed music for at least one play, The Fool's Preferment, or the Three Dukes of Dunstable, a comedy by D'Urfey. The songs were sung by William Mountford, who, Colley Cibber says,[35] "sung a clear counter-tenor, and had a melodious warbling throat." "His voice was clear, full, and melodious."

Mountford was a great favourite with the public as an actor and singer, and he was also a dramatic author, but his career was brought to an untimely end in his thirty-third year by Lord Mohun and Captain Hill, who murdered him in revenge for the part he took in preventing the abduction of the celebrated actress, Mrs. Bracegirdle.

The songs in the Fool's Preferment, were published with the play soon after its production at the Queen's Theatre in Dorset Gardens, the title partly reads "together with all the songs and notes to 'em. Excellently compos'd by Mr. Henry Purcell." Purcell still continued composing for the church; an anthem, "The Lord is King," bearing date 1688. He also composed one more "Ode or Welcome Song" for James II.; the last music he had occasion to pen for this King.

Curiously we find that Purcell again became Copyist of Westminster Abbey in this year; he succeeded Charles Taylour, but for what reason has not been discovered. No information respecting Taylour can now be found.

In December the unhappy monarch, James II., fled from his throne and kingdom, and was succeeded by William and Mary, who were crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1689, and in connection with that event a curious story is told by Hawkins:—[36]

"In the beginning of the year 1689 he (Purcell) became engaged in a dispute with Dr. Sprat, the then Dean, and the Chapter of Westminster, the occasion whereof was this. It seems that at the coronation of King William and Queen Mary, he had received and claimed as his right, the money taken for admission into the organ loft of persons desirous of being near spectators of that ceremony, which for the following reasons must be supposed to have amounted to a considerable sum; the profit arising to the owner of one of the houses at the west end of the Abbey, where only the procession could be viewed, amounted at the last coronation to five hundred pounds. The organ in Purcell's time was on the north side of the choir, and was much nearer the altar than now, so that the spectators from thence might behold the whole of the august ceremony. A sum like that which this must be presumed to have been was worth contending for, and if Purcell had the authority of precedent for his support, he was right in retaining it as a perquisite arising from his office; but his masters thought otherwise, and insisted on it as their due, for in an old Chapter book I find the following entry: '18 April, 1689, Mr. Purcell, the organ-blower, to pay to Mr. Needham such money as was received by him for places in the organ-loft, and in default thereof his place to be declared null and void, and that his stipend or salary to be detained in the treasurer's hands until further orders.' Upon which it may be observed that the penning of it is an evidence of great ignorance or malice, in that it describes him by the appellation of organ-blower who was the organist of their own church, and in truth the most excellent musician of his time. What the issue of this contest was does not appear. It may be supposed either that he refunded the money, or compounded the matter with the Dean and Chapter, it being certain that he continued to execute his office for some years after."

The above account in Sir John Hawkins's hand is now lying before me with a note that it is to be inserted in vol. iv. p. 497; it fills two pages of letter paper, and on the third page of the same sheet is a further note by Dr. Benjamin Cooke, which certainly ought to have been printed with the foregoing:—

"The order herein alluded to is not the real entry in the Chapter minutes, but is in another old book which contains copies or memorandums of many of the Chapter minutes, and probably was the rough draft, or it might be done by Mr. Needham afterwards from his recollection, and so the wording is different tho' the substance of both is the same, and this book was shown to me, and afterwards by my desire to Sir John Hawkins, at which time we understood it to be the original Chapter minutes, but have since been convinced of the contrary by having seen the original minute; and in this last he is not described by the title of Organ-blower, as he is in the former, but he is stil'd organist.—B. C."