Purcell is considered by many to have been the greatest ornament of English music in the 17th century, and has been a source of inspiration for British composers ever since. From the mass of assorted material that exists, this book, published to coincide with the tercentenary of his birth, presents a portrait of the composer in his time and since, using diaries, letters and official and published writings from the 17th century to the 20th. The compiler, Michael Burden, has written widely on English music of the 17th and 20th centuries, and was volume editor of Faber's Purcell Companion.