The Most Beautiful Sounds Next to Silence

Henry Purcell (/ˈpɜːrsəl/, rare: /pərˈsɛl/c. 10 September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer of Baroque music.

Purcell's musical style was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest English opera composers, Purcell is often linked with John Dunstaple and William Byrd as England's most important early music composers. No later native-born English composer approached his fame until Edward Elgar, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, William Walton and Benjamin Britten in the 20th century.