"It must be confess'd, that whilst musick was chiefly employ'd in the nation for the glory of God, God was pleas'd to shew his approbation thereof by wonderfully improving the skill of the composers, insomuch that I believe no Art was advanced from so mean a beginning to so vast a height in so short a time as the Science in the last century. Our musick began to equal that of the Italians and to exceed all other. Our Purcell was the delight of the nation and the wonder of the world, and the character of Dr. Blow was but little inferior to him. But when we made not that use thereof which we ought, it pleas'd God to shew his resentment, and a stop to our progress by taking away our Purcell in the prime of his age, and Dr. Blow soon after. We all lamented our misfortunes, but never considered them as judgements for the abuse of this science, so that instead of growing better we grew worse and worse. Now, therefore, musick declines as fast as it did improve before."
This testimony respecting Purcell, from a contemporary, a distinguished divine and musician, ought surely to wipe out the preposterous stories of Purcell's cold-catching and low associations.
Valuable testimony to Purcell's high aims and laborious life is to be found in the MSS. written by Dr. Tudway for Edward, Lord Harley, and now deposited in the British Museum. Dr. Tudway was just two years older than Purcell, so that he entered the choir of the Chapel Royal first; he afterwards became a tenor singer in St. George's Chapel, Windsor, and in 1670 organist of King's College, Cambridge, where he afterwards took successively the degrees of Bachelor and Doctor in Music, and eventually became Professor of the University. He was also appointed "composer extraordinary" to Queen Anne. Writing of Purcell, his fellow-student, he says:—
"I knew him perfectly well. He had a most commendable ambition of exceeding every one of his time, and he succeeded in it without contradiction, there being none in England, nor anywhere else that I know of, that could come in competition with him for compositions of all kinds. Towards the latter end of his life he was prevailed on to compose for the English stage. There was nothing that ever had appeared in England like the representations he made of all kinds, whether for pomp or solemnity, in his grand chorus, &c., or that exquisite piece called the freezing piece of musick; in representing a mad couple, or country swains making love, or indeed any other kind of musick whatever. But these are trifles in comparison of the solemn pieces he made for the Church, in which I will name but one, and that is his Te Deum, &c., with instruments, a composition for skill and invention beyond what was ever attempted in England before his time."
Evidence respecting Purcell's personal virtues and gifts is to be found in an ode printed at the commencement of the second volume of Orpheus Britannicus, 1702. The poem is too long to quote entire, but the following extracts will suffice:—
"Make room ye happy natures of the sky,
Room for a soul, all Love and Harmony;
A Soul that rose to such Perfection here,
It scarce will be advanced by being there.