“AN OPERA perform’d at Mr Josias Priest’s Boarding-School at Chelsey by Young Gentlewomen. The Words Made by Mr Nat. Tate. The Musick Composed by Mr. Henry Purcell.” is the title of the only libretto we have. In an epilogue written for this school performance the girls are described as “Protestants...
Read more
Monthly Archives: March 2014
Heroes, Heroines and Witches – “Dido and Aeneas” by Purcell – Chapter 3
Nahum Tate’s libretto for Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas starts bang in the middle of the story, at the moment Dido confronts her own debate between Honour and Love. Should she give in to new love, and betray her murdered husband’s memory, or resist and, effectively, die emotionally? And what will...
Read more
Dido in England – “Dido and Aeneas” by Purcell – Chapter 2
In my last piece, I went rapidly through who Dido was, if she existed, and what may or may not have happened in Carthage when Aeneas turned up, if he did. But in the context of Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, that hardly matters. What does matter is who Purcell’s...
Read more
Who was Dido ? – “Dido and Aeneas” by Purcell – Chapter 1
In less than a month, come and enjoy our concert version with gestures of “Dido and Aeneas” by Purcell. Come and join us on our Facebook events: At the Dôme de Pontoise, April 6th At the Temple du Foyer de l’Ame in Paris, April 12th To make you wait a little, here is an...
Read more