‘Almost unheard of’: experts find more music by English composer Henry Purcell

Purcell’s Norfolk keyboard manuscript will feature in the BBC Radio 3 programme The Song Detectorists, to be broadcast on 24 October. Photograph: Jaime Abecasis/Rex

He was the leading English composer of the 17th century, writing masterpieces such as Dido and Aeneas and The Fairy Queen before his life was cut short in 1695, aged just 36.

Now two significant discoveries of music by Henry Purcell have been made, to the excitement of musicians.