Professor Rebecca Herissone discovers new work by Henry Purcell

A Manchester Music academic has uncovered a piece by Henry Purcell that was previously unknown.

Professor Rebecca Herissone has been carrying out research on the importance of Philip Hayes (1738–97) - one of the most significant early collectors of music in 18th century Britain - to our knowledge and understanding of the works of Purcell (1659–95), in whom Hayes had a particular interest.

Hayes owned or gained access to a remarkably large proportion of the composer’s surviving autographs, but he also made his own copies of a large part of the composer’s output, showing a fidelity to the original sources very uncharacteristic of his time.

It is in these copies that Professor Herissone found a previously unknown piece by Purcell, a devotional song for male voices.

The new piece will be published by Stainer & Bell in summer 2019, and will also be included in the forthcoming revised edition of his devotional songs, vol. 30 of the Purcell Society Complete Edition of the works of the composer. Plans for a professional recording are also well underway.