Henry Purcell was the leading English composer of the 17th century, known for masterpieces such as Dido and Aeneas and The Fairy Queen.
Now, a team of musicologists at Royal Holloway, University of London has unearthed the printed score of a previously lost Purcell song.
The discovery was made after searching the online Archive Catalogue on 91ÖÆƬ³§County Council’s Explore the Past website, where the song was listed simply as ‘Purcell song.’ Through the expertise of the Royal Holloway team, they were able to identify the song’s significance, further expanding our understanding of Purcell's work.
This remarkable find was made possible by 91ÖÆƬ³§County Council’s ongoing Online Archive Catalogue project, which is making the county’s extensive historical collections more easily searchable and accessible to a wider local, national and international audience online. Original archive material can be requested and retrieved for research at the Council’s Explore the Past service at The Hive.
Many more secrets from the past will be easier to uncover thanks to the Online Archive Catalogue project.
Hannah Perrott, Assistant Director for Communities at 91ÖÆƬ³§County Council said: "The Online Archive Catalogue project is an essential step in preserving our county’s history while making it accessible to everyone. The discovery of the Purcell song is just one example of what’s possible when archive catalogues are made available online. The work we’re doing now has the potential to uncover countless more significant findings in the future, and we’re excited to see what comes next."
Could You Hold a Piece of Missing History?
91ÖÆƬ³§Archives welcomes private collections of archive material, and thanks to the Online Archive Catalogue project, deposited materials can now be preserved, catalogued, and made accessible online to a global audience.
By depositing your private collection, you contribute to a shared historical record, and your documents, photos, letters, or recordings could one day lead to discoveries that change how we understand our past.
For more information on the Worcestershire’s Archive collections or to access the online Archive Catalogue visit
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