The English composer Henry Purcell wrote funeral music
that includes his Funeral Sentences and the later Music
for the Funeral of Queen Mary, Z. 860. Two of the
funeral sentences, "Man that is born of a woman" Z. 27
and "In the midst of life we are in death" Z. 17,
survive in autograph score. The Music for the Funeral
of Queen Mary comprises the March and Canzona Z. 780
and the funeral sentence "Thou knowest, Lord, the
secrets of our hearts" Z. 58C. It was first performed
at the funeral of Queen...(+)
The English composer Henry Purcell wrote funeral music
that includes his Funeral Sentences and the later Music
for the Funeral of Queen Mary, Z. 860. Two of the
funeral sentences, "Man that is born of a woman" Z. 27
and "In the midst of life we are in death" Z. 17,
survive in autograph score. The Music for the Funeral
of Queen Mary comprises the March and Canzona Z. 780
and the funeral sentence "Thou knowest, Lord, the
secrets of our hearts" Z. 58C. It was first performed
at the funeral of Queen Mary II of England in March
1695. Purcell's setting of "Thou knowest, Lord" was
performed at his own funeral in November of the same
year. In modern performances the March, Canzona and
three funeral sentences are often combined as Purcell's
Funeral Sentences, Z. 860.
Queen Mary II died on 28 December 1694, but her funeral
in Westminster Abbey was not until 5 March 1695.
Purcell composed a setting of the sixth of the seven
sentences of the Anglican Burial Service ("Thou Knowest
Lord", Z. 58C) for the occasion, together with the
March and Canzona, Z. 780. It is believed these were
performed with settings of the other six sentences by
the Elizabethan composer Thomas Morley. Purcell had
much earlier composed settings of three of the Burial
Service sentences, including two different ones of
"Thou Knowest Lord". The earlier settings are contained
in autograph score, but there is no autograph of the
1695 music. Later in 1695 Purcell reused the March and
Canzona as part of the incidental music for Thomas
Shadwell's play The Libertine.
When William Croft was commissioned to write another
setting for the burial service, he freely admitted that
he had imitated Purcell's style "as near as I could".
Croft preserved the whole of Purcell's "Thou knowest,
Lord" within his new work, stating that "The reason why
I did not compose that verse anew (so as to render the
whole service entirely of my own composition) is
obvious to every Artist". Croft's funeral sentences,
and therefore Purcell's along with it, have been sung
at nearly every royal and state funeral in England over
the last three centuries.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funeral_Sentences_and_Mu
sic_for_the_Funeral_of_Queen_Mary).
"Funeral Sentences" contains "Man that is born of a
Woman" (Mvt. 2) and "In the midst of life we are in
death" (Mvt. 3)
Although originally composed for Voices, Mixed Chorus,
Strings and Continuo, I created this interpretation of
Funeral Sentences: selections from "Music for the
Funeral of Queen Mary" (Z.860) for Winds (Flute, Oboe,
French Horn & Bassoon) & Strings (2 Violins, Viola &
Cello).
PARTITION