Henry Purcell
/ˌhenri ˈpɜːsl/
/ˌhenri ˈpɜːrsl/
- (1659-95) an English baroque composer. Many people regard him as the greatest English composer of the period. He wrote many different types of music, including songs, church music and theatre music, and his Dido and Aeneas (1689) is considered the first English opera. He was an important influence on later composers, especially Handel.