Sheet Music: Air in D minor

TitleAir in D minor
from The Double Dealer
Opus numberZ. T676
ComposerHenry Purcell (1659–1695)
InstrumentationFlute and bass instrument
KeyD minor
RangeF4–Bb5
Time signature3/4
Tempo72 BPM
Performance time0:40
Difficulty leveleasy
Download printable scorePDF Sheet Music (59 kB) (preview)
Download audio tracksMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (589 kB)
Play-along accompanimentMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (624 kB)
Date added2010-04-22
Last updated2010-04-22
Download popularity index☆☆☆☆☆ 1.1 (average)
Categories
Baroque

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Thursday 22 April 2010

Tune of the Day: Air in D minor

by Henry Purcell

The Double Dealer, a comedy accompanied by music, was one of two collaborations between Henry Purcell and William Congreve. At the time he wrote it, Congreve wasn't quite comfortable writing plays with music in them; however, the suite of instrumental music which Purcell composed for the play in 1693 greatly enhances it.

The light, easy-going Air in D minor was originally composed for keyboard, and in recent times it has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity due to its inclusion as one of the first pieces in Carl Humphries' The Piano Handbook. An interesting fact about this tune is that it's very easy to come up with a few nice variations.