This is the first in-depth analysis of Purcell manuscripts to take full account of their physical features as well as their musical content. Robert Shay and Robert Thompson offer a richly illustrated study that sheds new light on the chronology of composition and copying of Purcell's works and reassesses the place of extant autographs in his musical development. Major sources are fully cataloged and Purcell's handwriting is more closely examined than ever before. This is a significant new reference tool for Purcell scholars.

Few details are known about the life of Henry Purcell. This book provides the first in-depth analysis of the most obvious documentary evidence of Purcell's career - the music manuscripts of his own hand and those copied by his colleagues. Robert Shay and Robert Thompson offer a richly illustrated study of Purcell's sources, examining in detail the physical features of the manuscripts as well as their musical content. Their survey sheds new light on the chronology of composition and copying of Purcell's works and reassesses the place of extant autographs in his musical development. Major sources are fully catalogued, providing information about the context in which Purcell's music was collected and performed, and his handwriting is more closely examined than ever before. The book represents a significant new reference tool for scholars, applying a forensic approach that greatly enriches our knowledge of the composer and the music of his time.

Review
'It is no exaggeration to say that it is the most important contribution to Purcell scholarship since the appearance of Franklin Zimmerman's analytical catalogue of Purcell's music in 1963 ... All in all, this book is likely to remain a standard work of reference for a long time to come.' Musical Times 'Robert Shay and Robert Thompson have produced the first major survey of Purcell manuscripts falling within the compass of his own period and artistic orbit. In its detail and comprehensiveness, Purcell Manuscripts: The Principle Musical Sources enables us to view the composer's achievement in the context of an abruptly changing political scene ...' Times Literary Supplement