Henry Purcell (1659-1695)

Sonata No.6 in G minor (from the ten Sonatas of Four Parts)

Instrumental music formed a relatively small part of Purcell’s work, and although his ten "Sonatas of IV Parts" were not published until two years after his death, they were amongst his early works, being written around 1680. His slightly earlier "Fantazias" for string instruments look back to the "Fancies" of such early English composers as Orlando Gibbons, but the "Sonatas of IV Parts" show a distinct Italian influence. Purcell stated that in his near-contemporary "Sonnatas of III Parts" he had "faithfully endeavour’d a just imitation of the most fam’d Italian Masters"; and so this sonata is an English product of the Italian flowering in violin technique of which Corelli was the foremost representative.

R G Bratby 2002


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