In the dedication of Henry Purcell's Dioclesian to the Duke of Somerset, he declared: "As poetry is the harmony of notes, so music is that of notes; and as poetry is the harmony of notes." a rise above prose and oratory, so music is the exaltation of poetry. Both may excel separately, but they are surely excellent when united, for then nothing is wanting in any of their perfections: for thus they appear as spirit. and beauty in the same person." Henry Purcell was a prolific English composer of baroque opera, sacred music, cantatas, instrumental works and more. Not only did he have an extensive knowledge of music and composition, but he also understood the obligation to create a connection between the music and the text. Purcell's compositional skill is demonstrated in his opera Dido and Aeneas, which contains common baroque characteristics that define his style. there is still a definite connection to the structure of John Blow's Venus and Adonis. Although the original purpose of Dido and Aeneas may have been for court entertainment, it has become one of Purcell's most acclaimed works, as well as one of the operas. most popular of the Baroque period The first known performance of Dido and Aeneas was held at Mount Josias Priest's Boarding School in Chelsea, England, in 1689. Scholars such as Bruce Wood and Andrew Pinnock have questioned whether this performance was truly the first or not. it was a repetition of a previous one. before court, due to the fact that John Blow's opera Venus and Adonis was written and then premiered in 1684, around the same time as Dido and Aeneas, and seemed to follow the same path until their first performances. B...... middle of paper...... Purcell Companion. Portland, Oregon.: Amadeus, 1995. Clinton-Baddeley, VC for Music. Cambridge: University Press, 1941. 3.Harris, Dido and Aeneas by Ellen T. Henry Purcell. Oxford: Clarendon, 1987. Price, Curtis Alexander. Henry Purcell and the London stage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984. Print.Price, Curtis Alexander. Purcell Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1995.Price, Curtis. "Dido and Aeneas: Questions of Style and Evidence." Early Music 22 1, (1994): 115-25. Virgil and Robert Fitzgerald. The Aeneid. New York: Random House, 1983. sWestrup, J. A. Purcell. London: Dent, 1975. Westrup, J. A. Purcell. London: Dent, 1980. Zimmerman, Franklin B. Henry Purcell, 1659-1695: His Life and Times. London: Macmillan, 1967. Zimmerman, Franklin B. Henry Purcell, 1659-1695: His Life and Times. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 1983.