source O
https O
//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fairy O
Queen O
The O
Fairy O
Queen O
The O
Fairy O
Queen O
(1692; O
Purcell O
catalogue O
number O
Z.629) O
is O
a O
semi O
opera O
by O
Henry O
Purcell; O
a O
"Restoration O
spectacular".[1] O
The O
libretto O
is O
an O
anonymous O
adaptation O
of O
William O
Shakespeare's O
comedy O
A O
Midsummer O
Night's O
Dream.[2] O
First O
performed O
in O
1692 O
The O
Fairy O
Queen O
was O
composed O
three O
years O
before O
Purcell's O
death O
at O
the O
age O
of O
35. O
Following O
his O
death O
the O
score O
was O
lost O
and O
only O
rediscovered O
early O
in O
the O
twentieth O
century. O
Purcell O
did O
not O
set O
any O
of O
Shakespeare's O
text O
to O
music; O
instead O
he O
composed O
music O
for O
short O
masques O
in O
every O
act O
but O
the O
first. O
The O
play O
itself O
was O
also O
slightly O
modernised O
in O
keeping O
with O
seventeenth O
century O
dramatic O
conventions O
but O
in O
the O
main O
the O
spoken O
text O
is O
as O
Shakespeare O
wrote O
it. O
The O
masques O
are O
related O
to O
the O
play O
metaphorically O
rather O
than O
literally. O
Many O
critics O
have O
stated O
that O
they O
bear O
no O
relationship O
to O
the O
play. O
Recent O
scholarship O
has O
shown O
that O
the O
opera O
which O
ends O
with O
a O
masque O
featuring O
Hymen O
the O
God O
of O
Marriage O
was O
composed O
for O
the O
fifteenth O
wedding O
anniversary O
of O
William O
III O
and O
Mary O
II.[3] O
Growing O
interest O
in O
Baroque O
music O
and O
the O
rise O
of O
the O
countertenor O
contributed O
to O
the O
work's O
re O
entry O
into O
the O
repertoire. O
The O
opera O
received O
several O
full O
length O
recordings O
in O
the O
latter O
part O
of O
the O
20th O
century O
and O
several O
of O
its O
arias O
including O
"The O
Plaint" O
("O O
let O
me O
weep") O
have O
become O
popular O
recital O
pieces. O
In O
July O
2009 O
in O
celebration O
of O
the O
350th O
anniversary O
of O
Purcell's O
birth O
The O
Fairy O
Queen O
was O
performed O
by O
Glyndebourne O
Festival O
Opera O
using O
a O
new O
edition O
of O
the O
score O
prepared O
for O
the O
Purcell O
Society O
by O
Bruce O
Wood O
and O
Andrew O
Pinnock. O
Context O
and O
analysis O
Following O
the O
huge O
success O
of O
his O
operas O
Dioclesian O
(1690) O
and O
King O
Arthur O
(1691) O
Purcell O
composed O
The O
Fairy O
Queen O
in O
1692. O
Purcell's O
"First" O
and O
"Second O
Music" O
were O
played O
while O
the O
audience O
were O
taking O
their O
seats. O
The O
"Act O
Tunes" O
are O
played O
between O
acts O
as O
the O
curtain O
was O
normally O
raised O
at O
the O
beginning O
of O
a O
performance O
and O
not O
lowered O
until O
the O
end. O
After O
act O
1 O
each O
act O
commences O
with O
a O
short O
symphony O
(3–5 O
minutes). O
The O
English O
tradition O
of O
semi O
opera O
to O
which O
The O
Fairy O
Queen O
belongs O
demanded O
that O
most O
of O
the O
music O
within O
the O
play O
be O
introduced O
through O
the O
agency O
of O
supernatural O
beings O
the O
exception O
being O
pastoral O
or O
drunken O
characters. O
All O
the O
masques O
in O
The O
Fairy O
Queen O
are O
presented O
by O
Titania O
or O
Oberon. O
Originally O
act O
1 O
contained O
no O
music O
but O
due O
to O
the O
work's O
enormous O
success O
it O
was O
revived O
in O
1693 O
when O
Purcell O
added O
the O
scene O
of O
the O
Drunken O
Poet O
and O
two O
further O
songs O
later O
on O
in O
the O
work; O
"Ye O
gentle O
spirits O
of O
the O
air" O
and O
"The O
Plaint".[6] O
As O
noted O
above O
each O
masque O
is O
subtly O
related O
to O
the O
action O
in O
the O
play O
during O
that O
particular O
act O
in O
a O
metaphorical O
way. O
In O
this O
manner O
we O
have O
Night O
and O
Sleep O
in O
act O
2 O
which O
is O
apt O
as O
that O
act O
of O
the O
play O
consists O
of O
Oberon's O
plans O
to O
use O
the O
power O
of O
the O
"love O
in O
idleness" O
flower O
to O
confuse O
various O
loves O
and O
it O
is O
therefore O
appropriate O
for O
the O
allegorical O
figures O
of O
Secrecy O
Mystery O
et O
al. O
to O
usher O
in O
a O
night O
of O
enchantment. O
The O
masque O
for O
Bottom O
in O
act O
3 O
includes O
metamorphoses O
songs O
of O
both O
real O
and O
feigned O
love O
and O
beings O
who O
are O
not O
what O
they O
seem. O
The O
Reconciliation O
masque O
between O
Oberon O
and O
Titania O
at O
the O
end O
of O
act O
4 O
prefigures O
the O
final O
masque. O
The O
scene O
changes O
to O
a O
Garden O
of O
Fountains O
denoting O
King O
William's O
hobby O
just O
after O
Oberon O
says O
"bless O
these O
Lovers' O
Nuptial O
Day". O
The O
Four O
Seasons O
tell O
us O
that O
the O
marriage O
here O
celebrated O
is O
a O
good O
one O
all O
year O
round O
and O
"All O
Salute O
the O
rising O
Sun"/...The O
Birthday O
of O
King O
Oberon". O
The O
kings O
of O
England O
were O
traditionally O
likened O
to O
the O
sun O
(Oberon O
= O
William. O
Significantly O
William O
and O
Mary O
were O
married O
on O
his O
birthday O
4 O
November.). O
The O
Chinese O
scene O
in O
the O
final O
masque O
is O
in O
homage O
to O
Queen O
Mary's O
famous O
collection O
of O
china. O
The O
garden O
shown O
above O
it O
and O
the O
exotic O
animals O
bring O
King O
William O
back O
into O
the O
picture O
and O
Hymen's O
song O
in O
praise O
of O
their O
marriage O
plus O
the O
stage O
direction O
bringing O
(Mary's) O
china O
vases O
containing O
(William's) O
orange O
trees O
to O
the O
front O
of O
the O
stage O
complete O
the O
symbolism.[3] O