The sources and the legacy of Purcell’s Ayres for the Theatre

This article examines aspects of Henry Purcell’s music for the stage, as it is transmitted in the posthumous publication Ayres for the theatre (1697) and in related manuscripts—London, Royal Academy of Music, Ms. 3 and Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ms. Tenbury 785. The study offers analysis of variants, revisions and corrections in specific pieces—primarily the D minor Aire from the King Arthur set and the chaconne from The fairy queen. The study discusses some of the technicalities of copying, arranging and proofreading in Purcell’s time and in the 18th century, and specifically the role of repetition/omission errors in contemporary sources.