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This book, the first general survey of Purcell's music in a generation, is published to coincide with the tercentenary of his death. It is the first book to explore in detail the historical context of Purcell's music, dealing fully with the institutions he worked for, the origin anddevelopment of the various genres to which he contributed, and the sources of his music. In the process, a new picture of Purcell's creative personality emerges: a composer obsessed with formal counterpoint, extraordinarily well-versed in English music of the previous century, yet eager to embraceup-to-date features of the Italian style in the 1680s.