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Welcome to the Purcell Society
The Purcell Society is publishing the complete musical works of Henry Purcell in modern, authoritative printed editions. The Purcell Society Edition is designed with performers, researchers, librarians and music lovers in mind.
The modern Purcell Society Edition is being published in 33 volumes. These scores replace the ‘old’ Purcell Society edition (The Works of Henry Purcell) published between the 1870s and 1970s. The modern series contains completely new editions, edited from original sources by today’s leading Purcell scholars. The editions draw on the latest scholarship and on newly discovered sources of Purcell’s music. They are produced to the highest editorial standards and are peer-reviewed before publication.
The Society has recently initiated the Purcell Society Companion Series, a supplementary set of works by Purcell’s most important contemporaries.
Until 2007 Novello & Co. were the publishers to the Purcell Society. Since then Stainer & Bell have had this role. Stainer & Bell are publishing all remaining volumes in the complete edition and the Companion Series.
Performing material is available for many works. Offprints of individual works can often be purchased, sometimes in PDF format. This website provides details of the contents of each volume, and information on the availability of scores and performing materials. Find out more on the Purcell Society Edition and Companion Series pages.
Announcing the Purcell Society’s Anniversary Performance Grant
In celebration of The Purcell Society’s 150th anniversary in 2026, The Purcell Society Trust is partnering with Continuo Foundation to offer a project grant of up to £6,000 to support one or more performance or recording projects exclusively or predominantly featuring the music of Henry Purcell. The selected project(s) should take place in 2026, and make use of the Society’s editions for any music published by the Society (for more information about these, see the descriptions elsewhere on this website). Any hire and performance costs for the use of the Society’s editions of Purcell’s work will be met by the Society in addition to the grant amount.
Applications for the Purcell Society Grant must be submitted via the online form on Continuo Foundations’s website (see How to Apply) and must meet Continuo Foundation’s eligibility criteria in addition to the stipulations above. Applications will be assessed through Continuo Foundation’s two-stage evaluation process, and final decisions will be made in consultation with The Purcell Society. There may also be opportunities for collaboration between performers involved in the selected project(s) and the leading Purcell scholars who make up the Society’s Committee.