Voluntary (Trumpet) in C

Henry Purcell (c. 10 September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Although incorporating Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, Purcell's legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music. He is generally considered to be one of the greatest English composers; no other native-born English composer approached his fame until Edward Elgar, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Benjamin Britten in the 20th century.

A "Purcell Album of Trumpet Tunes" was arranged for organ by Henry Coates, and published by Edwin Ashdown Ltd. in 1942. The "Voluntary in C" is quite well-known (I think!), but like many of these trumpet pieces, they all start to sound like the theme for "Masterpiece Theater" after awhile! ;-)

Any of my regular listeners will know that I rarely use "extended versions," but in this case, the "extensions" go perfectly with the "real," and add a bit of versatility, and ease of use. In this performance, I only used 2 pistons.

As to "stylistic matters," I did add a few trills here and there. I'm not really sure if that's correct for a 1940's period-correct performance. :-)

These excellent arrangements were all done by Henry Coates, who was Organist and Master of the Choristers at Bradford Cathedral from 1893 until 1939.

The score is attached below (see page 5), as well as a painting of Henry Purcell, and a photo of his grave in Westminster Abbey. There are also several photographs of Bradford Cathedral, where Henry Coates served as organist, and one of the interior of the Church of St. Mary-le-Bow, showing the splendid organ.

MORE demos from Mary-le-Bow and Peterborough Cathedral COMING SOON!