Jeremiah Clarke- Ode on the Death of Henry Purcell

Come, Come Along is an ode which was written by Jeremiah Clarke (c. 1674- 1707) upon the Death of Henry Purcell. This selection can be found on "Odes on the Death of Henry Purcell (English Orpheus, Vol 12) Parley of Instruments, on the Hyperion label.

Thought to have been born in London around 1674, Clarke was a pupil of John Blow at St Paul's Cathedral. He later became organist at the Chapel Royal. "A violent and hopeless passion for a very beautiful lady of a rank superior to his own" caused him to commit suicide. Before shooting himself, he considered hanging and drowning as options, so to decide his fate, he tossed a coin—however the coin landed in the mud on its side. Instead of consoling himself, he chose the third method of death, and performed the deed in the cathedral churchyard." Suicides were not generally granted burial in consecrated ground, but an exception was made for Clarke, who was buried in the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral (though other sources state he was buried in the unconsecrated section of the cathedral churchyard). He was succeeded in his post by William Croft.

Clarke is best remembered for a popular keyboard piece: the Prince of Denmark's March, which is commonly called the Trumpet Voluntary, written circa. 1700. From c. 1878 until the 1940s the work was attributed to Henry Purcell,

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Jeremiah Clarke
• Ode
• Purcell
• Parley of Instruments
• baroque
• restoration
• England
• Britain

[mrsneaky2010]

Stirring stuff!!! love the earlier Baroque music..