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Dido and Aeneas is an opera
Opera

Opera is an Performing arts in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work which combines a text and a musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition....
 by the English Baroque
Baroque music

Baroque music describes a period or style of European classical music approximately extending from Dates of classical music eras. This era is said to begin in music after the Renaissance music and was followed by the Classical music era....
 composer Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell

Henry Purcell...
, from a libretto by Nahum Tate
Nahum Tate

Nahum Tate was an Irish poet, hymnist, and lyricist, who became England's poet laureate in 1692....
. The first known performance was at a girls' school in the spring of 1689 and hence is given catalogue number Z. 626. It comprises three acts and lasts about an hour.

It is based on a story from the fourth book of Virgil's
Virgil

Publius Vergilius Maro was a classical Roman poet, best known for three major works?the Bucolics , the Georgics and the Aeneid?although several Appendix Vergiliana are also attributed to him....
 Aeneid
Aeneid

The Aeneid is a Latin Epic poetry written by Virgil in the late 1st century BC that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy who traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Rome....
, of the legendary Queen of Carthage
Carthage

Carthage refers both to an ancient city in present-day Tunisia, and a modern-day suburb of Tunis. The civilization that developed within the city's sphere of influence is referred to as Punic or Carthaginian....
 Dido and the Trojan
Troy

Troy is a legendary city and center of the Trojan War, as described in the Epic Cycle, and especially in the Iliad, one of the two epic poems attributed to Homer....
 refugee Aeneas
Aeneas

This article is about the Roman hero. For other uses, see Aeneas .In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas was a Troy hero, the son of prince Anchises and the goddess Venus_....
.






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Dido and Aeneas is an opera
Opera

Opera is an Performing arts in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work which combines a text and a musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition....
 by the English Baroque
Baroque music

Baroque music describes a period or style of European classical music approximately extending from Dates of classical music eras. This era is said to begin in music after the Renaissance music and was followed by the Classical music era....
 composer Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell

Henry Purcell...
, from a libretto by Nahum Tate
Nahum Tate

Nahum Tate was an Irish poet, hymnist, and lyricist, who became England's poet laureate in 1692....
. The first known performance was at a girls' school in the spring of 1689 and hence is given catalogue number Z. 626. It comprises three acts and lasts about an hour.

It is based on a story from the fourth book of Virgil's
Virgil

Publius Vergilius Maro was a classical Roman poet, best known for three major works?the Bucolics , the Georgics and the Aeneid?although several Appendix Vergiliana are also attributed to him....
 Aeneid
Aeneid

The Aeneid is a Latin Epic poetry written by Virgil in the late 1st century BC that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy who traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Rome....
, of the legendary Queen of Carthage
Carthage

Carthage refers both to an ancient city in present-day Tunisia, and a modern-day suburb of Tunis. The civilization that developed within the city's sphere of influence is referred to as Punic or Carthaginian....
 Dido and the Trojan
Troy

Troy is a legendary city and center of the Trojan War, as described in the Epic Cycle, and especially in the Iliad, one of the two epic poems attributed to Homer....
 refugee Aeneas
Aeneas

This article is about the Roman hero. For other uses, see Aeneas .In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas was a Troy hero, the son of prince Anchises and the goddess Venus_....
. When Aeneas and his crew are shipwrecked in Carthage, he and the queen fall in love. However, Aeneas must soon leave to found Rome
Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
. Dido cannot live without him and awaits death.

This work is somewhat problematic, since no score in Purcell's hand is extant, and the only seventeenth century source is a libretto, possibly from the original performance. The difficulty is that no later sources follow the act divisions of the libretto, and the music to the prologue is lost. Part of this stems from the practice of the time of using such entertainments to add spice to another piece, such as a play, breaking up the original work and only using parts of it, rather than putting it on as a complete work.( pg. iv) It is a monumental work in the Baroque opera, remembered as one of Purcell's (and perhaps England's) foremost operatic works. It may be considered Purcell's only true opera, as compared with his other musical dramatic works such as King Arthur
King Arthur (opera)

King Arthur or, The British Nine Worthies , is an opera in five acts composed by Henry Purcell to alibretto by John Dryden.The opera was first performed at the Dorset Garden Theatre, London, in late May or early June 1691....
 and The Fairy-Queen
The Fairy-Queen

The Fairy-Queen is a masque or semi-opera by Henry Purcell; a Restoration spectacular It was first performed on 2 May 1692 at the Queen's Theatre, Dorset Garden in London by the United Company....
, and is among the earliest English operas. It owes much to John Blow's
John Blow

John Blow was an English composer and organist. His pupils included William Croft and Henry Purcell.Blow was probably born at Newark in Nottinghamshire....
 Venus and Adonis
Venus and Adonis (opera)

Venus and Adonis is an opera in three act s and a prologue by the English people Baroque music composer John Blow, composed in about 1683 in music....
, including structure and overall effect.

Libretto

Originally based on Nahum Tate's own play Brutus of Alba, or The Enchanted Lovers (1678), the opera is likely, at least to some extent, allegorical. The prologue refers to the joy of a marriage between two monarchs, which could refer to the marriage between William
William III of England

William III was a Prince of Orange by birth. From 1672 onwards, he governed as List_of_stadtholders_for_the_Low_Countries_provinces William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic....
 and Mary
Mary II of England

Mary II reigned as List of English monarchs, List of Scottish monarchs, and King of Ireland from 1689 until her death. Mary, a Protestantism, came to the thrones following the Glorious Revolution, which resulted in the deposition of her Roman Catholic father, James II of England....
 after the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution

The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of British monarchy James II of England in 1688 by a union of Parliament of England with an invading army led by the Dutch Republic stadtholder William III of England , who as a result ascended the English throne as William III of England....
 of 1688.
In a poem of about 1686 Tate himself alluded to James II
James II of England

James II and VII was List of English monarchs, List of Scottish monarchs, and King of Ireland from 6 February 1685. He was the last Roman Catholic Church monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland....
 as Æneas, who is misled by the evil machinations of the Sorceress and her witches (representing Roman Catholicism, a common metaphor at the time) into abandoning Dido, who symbolizes the British people. The same symbolism may apply to the opera.


This explains the addition of the characters of the Sorceress and the witches, which do not appear in the original Aeneid. It would be noble, or at least acceptable, for Aeneas to follow the decree of the Gods, but not so acceptable for him to be tricked by ill-meaning spirits.

Although the opera is a tragedy, there are numerous lighter scenes, such as when the First Sailor sings "Take a boozy short leave of your nymphs on the shore, and silence their mourning with vows of returning, though never intending to visit them more."

Roles

RoleVoice typePremiere cast,
1689
(Conductor: - )
Dido, (also known as Elissa) Queen of Carthagesoprano
Soprano

A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four part chorale style harmony the soprano takes the highest part which usually encompasses the melody....
 
Belinda, Dido's sister and handmaid
Handmaiden

A handmaiden is a female attendant, assistant, servant , or slavery....
light soprano
Soprano

A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four part chorale style harmony the soprano takes the highest part which usually encompasses the melody....
 
Second Woman, Another Handmaidenmezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano

A mezzo-soprano is a type of European classical music female voice type whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above ....
 or soprano		 
Aeneas, Trojan Princetenor
Tenor

The tenor is a type of male voice type and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between the C one octave below middle C to the A above in choral music, and up to high C in solo work....
 
Sorceressmezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano

A mezzo-soprano is a type of European classical music female voice type whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above ....
 or counter-tenor		 
First Witch/Enchantresssoprano 
Second Witch/Enchantresssoprano 
Spirit, in form of Mercury
Mercury (mythology)

In Roman mythology, Mercury was a messenger, and a god of trade, profit and commerce, the son of Maia Maiestas, also known as Ops, the Roman version of Cronus, and Jupiter ....
soprano or counter-tenor 
First Sailortenor 
Chorus, SATB
SATB

In music, SATB or SCTB is a frequent Acronym and initialism for soprano, contralto, tenor, Bass , referring to a common scoring for choruses and choirs....
: all members at one point or another represent courtiers, witches, cupids, and sailors.


Synopsis


Act 1

Dido's court

The opera opens with Dido in her court with her attendants. Belinda is trying to cheer up Dido, but Dido is full of sorrow, saying 'Peace and I are strangers grown'. Belinda believes the source of this grief to be the Trojan Aeneas, and suggests that Carthage's troubles could be resolved by a marriage between the two. Dido and Belinda talk for a time, and then Belinda and the Second Woman have a duet. The court then again tries to raise Dido's spirits, followed by Aeneas entering the court. He is at first received coldly by Dido, but she eventually accepts his proposal of marriage.

Act 2

Scene 1: The cave of the Sorceress

She is plotting the destruction of Carthage and its queen, and calls in her companions to help her in her evil plans. She plans to send her "trusted elf" disguised as Mercury, someone that Aeneas will surely listen to, and tempt him to leave Dido and head back to Troy. This would leave Dido heart-broken, and she would surely die. The chorus join in with terrible laughter, and the Enchantresses decide to conjure up a storm to make Dido and her train leave the grove and head back to the palace. When the spell is prepared, the witches vanish in a thunderclap.

Scene 2: A grove during the middle of a hunt

Dido and Æneas are accompanied by their train. They stop at the grove to take in its beauty. A lot of action is going on, with attendants carrying goods from the hunt and a picnic possibly taking place, and Dido and Aeneas are together within the activity. This is all stopped when Dido hears a distant thunder, prompting Belinda to tell the servants to prepare for a return to shelter as soon as possible. As every other character leaves the stage, Aeneas is stopped by the Sorceress's elf who is disguised as Mercury. This pretender Mercury brings the command of Jove that Aeneas is to wait no longer in beginning his task of creating a new Troy on Latin soil. Aeneas consents to the wishes of what he believes are the gods, but is not happy that he will have to leave Dido. He then goes off-stage to prepare to leave Carthage.

Act 3

The harbor at Carthage

Preparations are being made for the departure of the Trojan fleet. The sailors sing a song, which is followed shortly by the Sorceress and her companions' sudden appearance. The group is happy with how well their plan has worked, and the Sorceress sings a solo describing her further plans for the destruction of Æneas "on the ocean". All the characters begin to clear the stage after a dance in three sections, and then disperse.

The palace

Dido and Belinda enter, shocked at Aeneas' disappearance. Dido is distraught and Belinda comforts her. Suddenly Aeneas returns, but Dido is full of fear before Aeneas speaks, and his words only serve to confirm her suspicions. She derides his reasons for leaving, and even when Æneas says he will defy the gods and not leave Carthage, Dido rejects him for having once thought of leaving her. After Dido forces Aeneas to leave, she states that "Death must come when he is gone." The opera and Dido's life both slowly come to a conclusion, as the Queen of Carthage sings her last aria, "When I am laid in Earth", also known as "Dido's Lament." The chorus and orchestra then conclude the opera once Dido is dead by ordering the "cupids to scatter roses on her tomb, soft and gentle as her heart. Keep here your watch, and never never never part."

Score

The first of the arias to be published separately was "Ah, Belinda" in Orpheus Britannicus
Orpheus Britannicus

Orpheus Britannicus is a collection of songs by Henry Purcell, published posthumously in London in two volumes, the first in 1698 and the second in 1702....
. The most famous aria of the work is Dido's lament
Dido's lament

Dido's Lament is a popular name for a famous aria When I am laid in earth from the opera Dido and ?neas by Henry Purcell, with the libretto by Nahum Tate....
, When I am laid in earth. Both arias are formed on a lamento ground bass. Dido's lament has been performed or recorded even by artists far from the typical operatic school such as Klaus Nomi
Klaus Nomi

Klaus Sperber , better known as Klaus Nomi, was a German people countertenor noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly, elf stage persona....
 (as "Death"), Ane Brun
Ane Brun

Ane Brun , real name Ane Brunvoll , is a Norway singer/songwriter, born and raised in Molde, Norway. She lives in Stockholm, Sweden. She co-runs a record company, DetErMine Records , alongside Ellekari Larsson of The Tiny....
 and Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley

Jeffrey Scott Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician....
. It has also been transcribed or used in many scores, including the soundtrack to HBO miniseries Band of Brothers
Band of Brothers

Band of Brothers is a ten-part television World War II miniseries based on the book of the same title written by historian and biographer Stephen Ambrose....
 (renamed Nixon's Walk). It is always played (by a military band) at the Cenotaph remembrance ceremony which takes place on the Sunday nearest to November 11th each year in London's Whitehall. The music is thought by some to be too simple for Purcell in 1689, but this may simply reflect that the intended performers were schoolchildren. The original instrumentation is not at all clear, but it certainly included a continuo
Figured bass

Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate interval , chord s, and nonchord tones, in relation to a bass note....
 part. In answer to this Imogen Holst
Imogen Holst

Imogen Claire Holst, Order of the British Empire was a United Kingdom composer and conducting, and the only child of composer Gustav Holst.Imogen Holst was brought up in west London and educated at St Paul's Girls School , where her father was director of music....
 and Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten

Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, Order of Merit Order of the Companions of Honour was an England composer, conducting, viola and pianist....
 put together an edition of the opera with a realization by Britten. Now there are a number of editions with realizations, which makes the piece much more accessible for amateur performance.(, pg. vi) While the Prologue's music has been lost and has not been reconstructed, several realizations of the opera include a solution to the missing ritornello at the end of the second act. Known to have been part of the score, it is now performed as a dance taken from other, similar works by Purcell, or invented outright in the same vein, to keep the integrity and continuity of the performance.

Media


Selected recordings

The first full recording cast (before 1936) was as follows:
  • Nancy Evans (Dido), Mary Hamlin (Belinda), Roy Henderson
    Roy Henderson

    Roy Galbraith Henderson, Order of the British Empire was a leading England baritone in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. He later became a great teacher of singing, and was the teacher of Kathleen Ferrier....
     (Aeneas), Mary Jarred
    Mary Jarred

    Mary Jarred was an English people opera singer of the mid-twentieth century. She is sometimes classed as a mezzo-soprano and sometimes as a Alto....
     (Sorceress), Olive Dyer (Spirit), Dr Sydney Northcote (Sailor), Gladys Currie (Second woman), Gwen Catley and Gladys Currie (Witches), Charles Kennedy Scott's A Capella singers, Boyd Neel
    Boyd Neel

    Louis Boyd Neel was an England conductor and academic. He is perhaps best known for revitalizing the genre of the chamber orchestra....
     String Orchestra, Boris Ord
    Boris Ord

    Boris Ord was organist and Director of music of Choir of King's College, Cambridge between 1929 and 1957, though Harold Darke deputised during World War II whilst Ord served in the Royal Air Force....
     (continuo), Clarence Raybould (conductor), Hubert J. Foss (Musical director). (Decca, X 101-107, 7x12" records, by subscription only for the Purcell Society).
  • Dame Janet Baker
    Janet Baker

    Dame Janet Abbott Baker Companion of Honour Dame Commander of the British Empire FRSA is an England mezzo-soprano best known as an opera, concert, and lieder singer....
     (Dido), Patricia Clark (Belinda), Raimund Herincx
    Raimund Herincx

    Raimund Herincx is a British operatic bass baritone.Throughout his remarkable and extremely varied international career, Herincx performed in most of the world's great opera houses and with many of the world's leading symphony orchestras, having been equally in demand in international opera and in the choral and orchestral field....
     (Æneas), supporting soloists, St. Anthony Singers, English Chamber Orchestra
    English Chamber Orchestra

    The English Chamber Orchestra is a chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and the ECO Ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall....
    , Anthony Lewis, conductor
    Conducting

    Conducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other musical ensembles often have conductors....
    . Recorded 1961 and re-released on Decca
    Decca Records

    Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 in music by Edward Lewis . Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; later the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
     in 2000.
  • Jessye Norman
    Jessye Norman

    Jessye Norman is a four-time Grammy Award-winning African American opera singer. Norman is one of the most admired contemporary opera singers and recitalists, and is one of the highest paid performers in classical music....
     (Soprano - Dido), Marie Maclaughlin (Mezzo Soprano - Belinda), Patricia Kern
    Patricia Kern

    Patricia Kern is a United Kingdom mezzo-soprano and voice teacher. She was born in Swansea, Wales.From 1949 to 1952 she studied with Gwynn Parry Jones at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London....
     (Soprano - Sorceress), Thomas Allen
    Thomas Allen

    Thomas Allen may refer to:...
     (Baritone - Aeneas), Derek Lee Ragin
    Derek Lee Ragin

    Derek Lee Ragin is an United States countertenor.For the soundtrack of the 1994 in film film Farinelli Il Castrato, his voice was electronically blended with that of soprano Ewa Mallas Godlewska to recreate the famous castrato's voice....
     (Countertenor - Spirit). English Chamber Orchestra
    English Chamber Orchestra

    The English Chamber Orchestra is a chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and the ECO Ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall....
     conducted by Raymond Leppard
    Raymond Leppard

    Raymond John Leppard, Order of the British Empire is a United Kingdom conducting and harpsichordist.He was born in London and grew up in Bath, England, where he was educated at the City of Bath Boys' School, now known as the Beechen Cliff School....
    . Philips Catalog. 416299
  • Susan Graham
    Susan Graham

    File:Susangraham.jpgSusan Graham is an American mezzo-soprano.Raised in Midland, Texas, she is a graduate of Texas Tech University and the Manhattan School of Music....
     (Dido), Ian Bostridge
    Ian Bostridge

    Ian Bostridge Order of the British Empire is an acclaimed England tenor, well known for his performances as an opera singer and as a song recitalist....
     (Æneas), Camilla Tilling (Belinda), Felicity Palmer
    Felicity Palmer

    Felicity Joan Palmer, Order of the British Empire is an England mezzo-soprano .She studied at the Guildhall School of Music in London and under Marianne Schech's guidance at the Munich College for Music and Theatre....
     (Sorceress), David Daniels (Spirit), Cécile de Boever (Second Woman), Paul Agnew (A Sailor), Emmanuelle Haïm
    Emmanuelle Haïm

    Emmanuelle Ha?m is a France harpsichordist and conductor. . She has a particular interest in early music and Baroque music. She trained at the Conservatoire Sup?rieur de Musique et de Danse in Paris....
     (conductor), European Voices, Le Concert d'Astrée. Virgin Veritas 45605.
  • Emma Kirkby
    Emma Kirkby

    Dame Carolyn Emma Kirkby is a soprano singer and one of the world's most renowned early music specialists. She was a classics student at Somerville College, Oxford, and an English language teacher before developing a career as a soloist....
     (Dido), Judith Nelson (soprano), David Thomas (bass), Taverner Consort and Players
    Taverner Consort and Players

    Taverner Consort and Players is a period instrument ensemble: baroque orchestra , vocal consort and Choir, named after the 16th century English composer John Taverner....
     conducted by Andrew Parrott
    Andrew Parrott

    Andrew Parrott is a United Kingdom conductor, perhaps best known for his pioneering Authentic performance of pre-classical music. He conducts a wide range of repertoire, including Contemporary classical music....
    , Chandos CHAN 8306.
  • Evelyn Tubb
    Evelyn Tubb

    Soprano Evelyn Tubb is a long-time member of The Consort of Musicke and one of the world's greatest early music specialists, known for her innovative and original performances....
     (Dido & Sorceress), Thomas Meglioranza
    Thomas Meglioranza

    Thomas Meglioranza is an American opera singer of Thai, Italian and Polish heritage.Thomas Meglioranza grew up in the northern New Jersey towns of Teaneck and Wayne....
     (Æneas), Julia Matthews (Belinda), New Trinity Baroque
    New Trinity Baroque

    New Trinity Baroque is an orchestra with an associated chamber choir, specialised in baroque music played on period instruments. It was founded in 1998 in London but is now based in Atlanta, USA....
     conducted by Predrag Gosta
    Predrag Gosta

    Predrag Gosta is an American conducting, harpsichordist and baritone.Predrag Gosta is the Artistic Director and conductor of New Trinity Baroque, an early music ensemble, baroque orchestra and choir based in Atlanta, United States....
    , Edition Lilac 100806-2.
  • Kirsten Flagstad
    Kirsten Flagstad

    Kirsten M?lfrid Flagstad was a Norway opera singer, one of the greatest Richard Wagner sopranos of the 20th century.A restrained and expressive stage performer, she was admired internationally for her voice's sheer tonal beauty, power, stamina, security and consistency of line and tone....
     (with Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
    Elisabeth Schwarzkopf

    Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Order of the British Empire was a German-born Austrian/British opera singer and recitalist. She was amongst the most renowned opera singers of the 20th Century, much admired for her performances of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Richard Strauss and Hugo Wolf....
     as Belinda), Victoria de los Ángeles
    Victoria de los Ángeles

    Victoria de los ?ngeles was a Spanish operatic soprano and recitalist from Catalonia whose career began in the early 1940s and reached its height in the mid 1960s....
     (with Belinda sung by Dame Heather Harper
    Heather Harper

    Heather Harper Order of the British Empire is an Irish people operatic soprano.She was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where she received her early musical training....
    ), Tatiana Troyanos
    Tatiana Troyanos

    Tatiana Troyanos was an United States mezzo-soprano.Born in New York City, Troyanos went to Forest Hills High School in Forest Hills, New York....
    , Josephine Veasey
    Josephine Veasey

    Josephine Veasey is a British mezzo-soprano, particularly associated with Wagner and Berliozroles....
    , Dame Janet Baker (in her second recording of the work, now with Sir Peter Pears
    Peter Pears

    Sir Peter Neville Luard Pears was an England tenor and life-long partner of the composer Benjamin Britten.He was educated at Lancing College and went on to study music at Keble College, Oxford, serving as organist at Hertford College, Oxford, but left without taking his degree....
     as Æneas), D'Anna Fortunato
    D'Anna Fortunato

    D'Anna Fortunato is a noted American mezzo-soprano. Among her teachers was Phyllis Curtin. Fortunato is professor of voice at the New England Conservatory of Music, and her career has included appearances with the New York City Opera , and many other American companies....
     (with Bruce Fithian as the Sorceress), Jessye Norman
    Jessye Norman

    Jessye Norman is a four-time Grammy Award-winning African American opera singer. Norman is one of the most admired contemporary opera singers and recitalists, and is one of the highest paid performers in classical music....
     (opposite the Spirit of Derek Lee Ragin
    Derek Lee Ragin

    Derek Lee Ragin is an United States countertenor.For the soundtrack of the 1994 in film film Farinelli Il Castrato, his voice was electronically blended with that of soprano Ewa Mallas Godlewska to recreate the famous castrato's voice....
    , in his first recording), Catherine Bott
    Catherine Bott

    Catherine Bott is an England soprano and a baroque specialist.Following her studies at the The King's High School For Girls, and Guildhall School of Music and Drama, with Arthur Reckless, she began her career as a member of the English baroque-jazz crossover group, the Swingles....
     (with Julianne Baird
    Julianne Baird

    Julianne Baird is an United States soprano best known for her singing in Baroque music works, in both opera and sacred music. She has nearly 100 recordings to her credit and is a well-traveled recitalist and soloist with major symphony orchestras....
     as the Second Woman, conducted by Christopher Hogwood
    Christopher Hogwood

    Christopher Jarvis Haley Hogwood CBE, MA , HonMusD is an England conducting, harpsichordist, writer and scholar of music.Hogwood studied music and classical literature at Pembroke College, Cambridge, University of Cambridge....
    ) and Nancy Maultsby
    Nancy Maultsby

    Nancy Maultsby is an United States operatic mezzo-soprano.External links...
     (opposite the Belinda of Susannah Waters
    Susannah Waters

    Susannah Waters is a British soprano. Born in London, England, she attended both Bennington College and the Guildhall School of Music.She made her New York debut early in her career, as Belinda in Dido and ?neas at Symphony Space , a production that toured to New Orleans....
    ).


A film version was made in 1995, directed by Canadian Barbara Willis Sweete, as a modern dance
Modern dance

File:Two dancers.jpgModern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance....
 work.

See also

  • Listing of movements
    List of compositions by Henry Purcell

    This is a list of musical compositions by Henry Purcell....


External links

from a recording by the New Trinity Baroque
New Trinity Baroque

New Trinity Baroque is an orchestra with an associated chamber choir, specialised in baroque music played on period instruments. It was founded in 1998 in London but is now based in Atlanta, USA....
 orchestra *