<P> Henry Purcell ( / ˈpɜːrsəl / or / pɜːrˈsɛl / ; c. 10 September 1659 -- 21 November 1695 ) was an English composer . Although incorporating Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions , Purcell 's legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music . He is generally considered to be one of the greatest English composers ; no other native - born English composer approached his fame until Edward Elgar , Ralph Vaughan Williams , William Walton and Benjamin Britten in the 20th century . </P>
who is considered to be the greatest english composer of the baroque period
Henry Purcell