The original drawing, of which a reduced copy is given, has the following note:—
"Three ancient houses in Westminster; in the right-hand one of which the great H. Purcell was born, 1658, and passed his early life. They are now in the last state of ruin, and have long been uninhabited. The houses adjoining that of Purcell are of modern date, and project before the others, as well as encroach somewhat on Purcell's doorway, hiding one side of the door-frame. Of the old houses the windows and doorways are nearly all boarded up in the roughest manner, under which, however, the original panelled doors are still to be partly found. The houses are of old red brick. The first door was the back way into the public-house called the 'Bell and Fish,' kept by Mr. Oldsworth, who lost his licence. The second door the entrance to the skittle-ground. The third was Purcell's house."
PURCELL'S HOUSE.
Purcell was named Henry after his father, a thoroughly competent and efficient musician, of whom Pepys made this quaint entry in his diary on the 21st of February, 1659:—
"After dinner I back to Westminster Hall with him (Mr. Crewe) in his coach. Here I met with Mr. Lock and Pursell, masters of musique, and with them to the Coffee House, into a room next the water, by ourselves, where we spent an hour or two, till Captain Taylor came and told us that the House had voted the gates of the city to be made up again, and the members of the city that are in prison to be set at liberty; and that Sir G. Booth's case be brought into the House to-morrow. Here we had variety of brave Italian and Spanish songs, and a canon for eight voices, which Mr. Lock had lately made on these words, 'Domine salvum fac Regem,'—an admirable thing. Here out of the window it was a most pleasant sight to see the city from one end to the other with a glory about it, so high was the light of the bonfires, and so thick round the City; and the bells rang everywhere."
We may note here the intimacy which existed between Purcell's father and Matthew Locke,[4] the celebrated composer, an intimacy and friendship which was afterwards extended to the son.
Henry Purcell, senior, was a gentleman of the Chapel Royal, and in that capacity sang in the choir at the coronation of Charles II.[5] He was also elected a singing-man of Westminster Abbey, and master of the chorister boys of that church; to these appointments he added that of music copyist of Westminster Abbey, at that time a very honourable and important position, in consequence of the wholesale destruction of Service-books which had taken place during the Commonwealth.