On Henry Purcell and His Family

A most pleasant and picturesque introduction to the Purcell family is to be found in Pepys' Diary, under date Feb. 21, 1659, where we find this entry: ‘After dinner I back to Westminster Hall with him (Mr. Crewe) in his coach. Here I met with Mr. Lock and Purcell, Masters of Musique, and with them to the Coffee House, into a room next the water by ourselves, where we spent an hour or two‥… Here we had variety of brave Italian and Spanish songs, and a canon for eight voices, which Mr. Lock had lately made on these words, Domine Salvum fac Regem , an admirable thing. … Here out of the window it was a most pleasant sight to see the City from one end to the other with a glory about it, so high was the light of the bonfires, and so thick round the City, and the bells rang everywhere.’