Ex. 3-1: Let us dance, let us sing
Henry Purcell
From the Masque in Act 5 of Purcell's semi-opera The Prophetess, or The History of Dioclesian (Z.627), with a libretto by Thomas Betterton. First performed in May 1690 at the Dorset Garden Theatre in London. Purcell published the full score at his own expense in 1691 — the first time a complete orchestral score of a dramatic work was printed in England.
The text is a carpe diem song (a song about enjoying life before it passes): dance, sing, and celebrate love while life is still in its spring, for time will take these pleasures away. The score marks it as a soprano air, but it is sung today by various voice types.
Track 4 from the album Purcell: Chamber and Vocal Music by Päivi Järviö, Eero Palviainen, Lauri Pulakka, and Annamari Polho (1999)
Spotify