MUSIC FOR THE FUNERAL OF QUEEN MARY II STUART

ODE FOR THE BIRTHDAY OF QUEEN MARY II STUART – „Come, Ye Sons of Art”, Piotr Sawistowski – sound engineering (2020), „Baroque Collegium Musicum”, Paulina Tkaczyk – harpsichord

A prominent representative of English Baroque music was Henry Purcell – the genius of the Restoration period. He is regarded as a leading English composer who combined elements of Italian, French, and English styles in his work. His output includes cantatas, psalms (anthems), odes praising individuals or events, music for theatrical productions, harpsichord sonatas, suites, organ works, as well as operatic composition. The CD was recorded during a Baroque Music Concert on October 4, 2020, in the beautiful interior of the Collegiate Basilica of 
St. Nicholas the Bishop in Grudziądz, where the exceptional acoustics give the sounds heard there a unique power. Two compositions by Henry Purcell from the final years of his life were performed – works that are very rarely heard in Poland. One of them is Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary II (Funeral Sentences), wife of King William III of Orange. The composition consists of three anthems written for choir and basso continuo, with texts drawn from the 1660 Book of Common Prayer and the Book of Job (14:1–2). The second composition is the last of six birthday odes, Come, Ye Sons of Art, also composed for Queen Mary II, first performed on April 30, 1694, for her 33rd birthday. Unfortunately, the author of the ode’s text remains unknown.