# HenryPurcell.com > An independent, non-commercial guide to Henry Purcell (c. 1659–1695), the English Baroque composer and organist of Westminster Abbey, for listeners. Covers his life, his famous works, myths and attributions, and recommended recordings. Key facts: Henry Purcell was born in Westminster, London, in 1659 (probably September) and died there on 21 November 1695, aged 36; the cause was not recorded (tuberculosis is the likeliest explanation). He is buried in Westminster Abbey beside the organ. He trained in the Chapel Royal under Henry Cooke, Pelham Humfrey and John Blow, became organist of Westminster Abbey in 1679 and of the Chapel Royal in 1682, and served Charles II, James II and William III and Mary II. His best-known work is the opera Dido and Aeneas (first known performance 1689), whose lament "When I am laid in earth" is played at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday. The famous "Trumpet Voluntary" is not by Purcell but by Jeremiah Clarke (Prince of Denmark's March, c. 1700). ## Life - [The Great Baroque Composers](https://henrypurcell.com/baroque-composers/): A list of the most famous Baroque composers, from Monteverdi to Bach and Handel: dates, nationality, best-known works, and where Henry Purcell fits among them. - [The Life of Henry Purcell](https://henrypurcell.com/biography/): Henry Purcell biography: born in Westminster in 1659, trained in the Chapel Royal, organist of Westminster Abbey at 20, composer of Dido and Aeneas, dead at 36. The full story. - [Henry Purcell Facts](https://henrypurcell.com/facts/): Henry Purcell facts: when and where he was born, how old he was when he died, his teachers, his wife and children, his most famous pieces, the bawdy catches, and the myths that refuse to die. - [How Did Henry Purcell Die?](https://henrypurcell.com/how-did-henry-purcell-die/): Henry Purcell died on 21 November 1695 aged 36. The cause was never recorded. The theories: tuberculosis, a chill after his wife locked him out, and chocolate poisoning, plus where he is buried. - [The Best Henry Purcell Recordings](https://henrypurcell.com/recordings/): A listener’s guide to the best Henry Purcell recordings: classic and period-instrument versions of Dido and Aeneas, King Arthur, The Fairy Queen, the anthems, odes, songs and fantasias. - [A Purcell Timeline](https://henrypurcell.com/timeline/): A year-by-year timeline of Henry Purcell’s life: birth in 1659, the Chapel Royal, Westminster Abbey, Dido and Aeneas, King Arthur, The Fairy Queen and his death in 1695, plus his afterlife. ## Works - [Dido and Aeneas](https://henrypurcell.com/works/dido-and-aeneas/): Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell: the story and plot synopsis, characters, Nahum Tate’s libretto, the famous Lament, and why England’s first great opera was premiered at a girls’ school. - [Dido’s Lament: “When I Am Laid in Earth”](https://henrypurcell.com/works/didos-lament/): Dido’s Lament, “When I am laid in earth,” from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas: full lyrics, what it means, how the descending ground bass works, and why it is played at the Cenotaph. - [King Arthur](https://henrypurcell.com/works/king-arthur/): Purcell’s King Arthur (1691), the semi-opera written with John Dryden: the plot, the Frost Scene and Cold Song, ‘Fairest Isle’, and how to hear it today. - [The Cold Song: “What Power Art Thou”](https://henrypurcell.com/works/cold-song/): The Cold Song from Purcell’s King Arthur: full lyrics of ‘What power art thou’, what the Frost Scene is about, how Purcell makes the music shiver, and the famous Klaus Nomi and Sting covers. - [The Fairy Queen](https://henrypurcell.com/works/the-fairy-queen/): Purcell’s The Fairy Queen (1692): the lavish semi-opera based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, why it sets no Shakespeare, how the score was lost for 200 years, and the music to know. - [Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary](https://henrypurcell.com/works/music-for-the-funeral-of-queen-mary/): Purcell’s Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary (1695): the March and Canzona for brass, the Funeral Sentences, ‘Thou knowest, Lord’, its performance at Purcell’s own funeral, and A Clockwork Orange. - [Rondeau from Abdelazer](https://henrypurcell.com/works/abdelazer-rondeau/): Purcell’s Rondeau from Abdelazer, or The Moor’s Revenge (1695): the play by Aphra Behn, the rondeau form, and how Britten made it the theme of The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. - [Music for a While](https://henrypurcell.com/works/music-for-a-while/): Purcell’s Music for a While (1692) from Oedipus: the full lyrics by Dryden and Lee, what the song means, how its walking ground bass works, and where to hear it. - [The Trumpet Voluntary: Purcell or Clarke?](https://henrypurcell.com/works/trumpet-voluntary/): The famous wedding Trumpet Voluntary is not by Henry Purcell. It is the Prince of Denmark’s March by Jeremiah Clarke (c. 1700). How the mix-up happened, and Purcell’s own Trumpet Tune. - [Anthems, Odes and Sacred Music](https://henrypurcell.com/works/sacred-music/): A listener’s guide to Purcell’s church music and odes: Hear my prayer, O Lord; Rejoice in the Lord alway (the Bell Anthem); the Evening Hymn; Hail, bright Cecilia; Come, ye sons of art. ## Optional - [All questions and answers](https://henrypurcell.com/faq/): Short answers to common questions about Purcell. - [About this site](https://henrypurcell.com/about/): Editorial standards and sources.