William Cummings"s highly regarded biography of has been revised and reset to mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Henry Purcell, one of the greatest English composers of all time. Few other composers can boast the originality or the range which Purcell displayed - from sacred music, to airs, to tavern songs and the first great English opera, Dido and ?neas. As well as following Purcell"s life and career, the book provides appendices on Purcell"s family, the organists, choirmasters and copyists of Westminster Abbey, and a list of important dates in the composer"s life. William H. Cummings was Principal of the Guildhall School of Music, London, and a noted music historian.