On this recording we have a selection of works for solo\nharpsichord and for violin and continuo by Daniel Purcell, most of\nwhich are premiere recordings. Traditionally, Daniel Purcell has\nbeen known primarily as the younger brother of Henry Purcell\n(though a strong argument can be made that they were cousins), and\nit has been said that it was from this family connection only that\nhe derived ‘what little reputation which as a musician he\npossessed’ (Sir John Hawkins). It is not true, however, that\nDaniel’s legacy was based entirely on the fame of Henry. Daniel\nlived for over twenty years after Henry’s death in 1695, adopting\nstyles and forms that only became popular in England around 1700,\nincluding the da capo aria, the Italianate cantata and – most\nrelevant to this recording – the solo sonata.

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Nearly all of Daniel Purcell’s surviving solo harpsichord music\nconsists of arrangements, the only clear exception being the short\nToccata, a brief essay in the style of the preludes from Henry\nPurcell’s harpsichord suites. The Suite is a simple but effective\narrangement of movements from the composer’s own suite, for\nfour-part strings, for Farquhar’s play The Inconstant. The\nexpressive Rondeau is also likely an arrangement of a piece for\nfour-part strings. The other three harpsichord pieces are simple\narrangements of Daniel’s songs, derived from Oxford manuscripts,\nand reflecting Daniel’s links with the city.

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Daniel Purcell also wrote a great deal of music for violin (or\nrecorder) and continuo. The Chaconne is a cut-down version of a\nfour-part piece from his suite for Trotter’s play The Unhappy\nPenitent. Also on this disc are several Sonatas for violin and\ncontinuo, inspired by the works of the Moravian composer Gottfried\nFinger (c. 1655 – 1730), as evident in the cheerful tunefulness of\nthese works, the avoidance of counterpoint, and a fondness for\nshort movements connected in a ‘patchwork’ fashion.

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The violinist Hazel Brooks and harpsichordist David Pollock –\nalso known as Duo Dorado – have been charming audiences with their\nperformances since 1999. Inspired by a shared commitment to present\nmusic of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in an accessible\nway, these two prize-winning musicians have performed together\nthroughout the UK and beyond. Programmes by the duo have been\npraised for their varied and colourful textures; of one recording,\nEarly Music Review wrote: ‘The performance from Hazel Brook is\nassured and stylish, complemented by some fine continuo\naccompanying as well as spirited solo playing from David\nPollock.’

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