The Fairy Queen by Henry Purcell - 1153 Words

The Baroque period is an era of artistic style utilizing embellished motion, pure and effortlessly interpreted detail to yield drama, tension, exuberance, and opulence in representation. The opera â€Å"The Fairy Queen† by Henry Purcell is an excellent representation of the Baroque era in its inordinate application of all theatrical foundations, embroidered indications, and the selected focused elucidation to return melodrama, emotional tension, enthusiasm, and sumptuousness for the audience watching. Baroque music is characterized through contrasts as dramatic elements, monody and the advent of the basso continuo, and different instrumental sounds. Contrast is an essential feature in the production of baroque arrangements. The alternations between bold and flamboyant and soft, solo and ensemble, different instruments and timbres all constitute a key portion in various baroque compositions. Composers similarly created more precise instrumental arrangements regularly stipu lating the instruments on a musical piece that ought to be executed instead of allowing the performing musician to select. â€Å"The Fairy Queen† is a masque or semi-opera by Henry Purcell. The libretto is an revision of William Shakespeares wedding comedy A Midsummer Nights Dream. Purcell did not put any of Shakespeares wording to tunes; as an alternative he poised melodies for short musical numbers in every act but the beginning performance. The opera itself had also been marginally modernised inShow MoreRelatedThe Life Of Henry Purcell1353 Words   |  6 PagesThe Life of Henry Purcell Henry Purcell was a famous English composer during the Baroque period of music. There is very little known about Henry Purcell’s life. Purcell was born September 10, 1659 in the Westminster area of central London, England. His father, who was also named Henry Purcell was a gentleman at the Chapel Royal and the master of Choristers in Westminster Abbey but he died in 1664 when Purcell was around six years old. After the death of his father his mother Elizabeth was forcedRead MoreA Comparison of the Great Gatsby and the Virgin Suicides1553 Words   |  7 Pagesa flag and the blowing of a trumpet. There were playbills, those for tragedy being printed in red. Often after a serious piece a short farce was also given; and at the close of the play the actors, on their knees, recited an address to the king or queen. The price of entrance varied with the theater, the play, and the actors; but it was roughly a penny to sixpence for the pit, up to half a crown for a box. A three-leg ged stool on the stage at first cost sixpence extra; but this price was later doubledRead MoreEssay about Henry Purcell2912 Words   |  12 PagesHenry Purcell is seen as one of the greatest composers of the Baroque period and one of the greatest of all English composers. His earliest surviving works date from 1680 and show a complete command of musical composition. They include some fantasias for viols, masterpieces of contrapuntal writing, and more contemporary sonatas for violins, which reveal some acquaintance with Italian models. Purcell, in his time, became increasingly in demand as a composer, and his theatre music in particular madeRead MoreBaroque Musical Arrangements644 Words   |  3 Pagesstipulating the instruments on a musical piece that ought to be executed instead of allowing the performing musician to select. In â€Å"The Fairy Queen†, Henry Purcell’s bravura is frequently so astoundingly straightforward and direct that viewers may not notice the in tricacies, subtleness, and refinement in the arrangement. Benjamin Britten made the argument that Purcell owned a superior awareness and understanding of the English verbal language than any other musician who composed. In his aptitude toRead MoreThe development and contribution Purcell made to the operatic genre through his opera and dramatic works1979 Words   |  8 Pagesï » ¿ The development and contribution Purcell made to the operatic genre through his opera and dramatic works. Henry Purcell (1659-1695) composed music for many different genres. Among these he wrote one true opera, Dido and Aeneas (1689). He also wrote a number of dramatic works. Purcell spent the majority of his last five years composing music for the stage. The majority of Purcell’s dramatic instrumental music or songs were used in spoken plays. Purcell went on to write four semi-operas; Dioclesian