Dido and Aeneas

  • Urtext edition based on the Tatton Park manuscript
  • Preface on the genesis of the work and an act-by-act summary of the plot (in English and German)
  • With Dido's song "Ah! Belinda" in the version of "Orpheus Britannicus" from 1698 in the appendix

 

The vocal score of Henry Purcell's famous opera "Dido and Aeneas" is based on the Bärenreiter Urtext edition of the full score. The Tatton Park manuscript (National Trust) served as its main source, which was produced in the second half of the 18th century by Philip Hayes, who is known for his meticulous copies of Purcell's music. In addition, the sources from the Bodleian Library Oxford (Great Britain) and the Wakayama Prefectural Library (Japan) have been reevaluated for this edition.

The piano arrangement was done by Timothy Roberts, who was harpsichordist in the Gabrieli Consort Players under the direction of Paul McCreesh for many years and has published numerous editions, including for Faber Music and Oxford University Press.

The text section includes an informative preface by the editor Robert Shay on the work’s history with an account of the sources and an act-by-act summary of the plot.