The Indian Queen (opera)

The Indian Queen (Z. 630) is a largely unfinished semi-opera with music by Henrich Purcell. It was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, in 1695. The exact date is unknown, but Peter Holman estimates it may have been in June.

It was created as a revised version of the 1664 play The Indian Queen, in a prologue and five act form by John Dryden and his brother-in-law Sir Robert Howard. In 1694, Thomas Betterton was given £50 to transform the play into an opera, and he commissioned Purcell to compose the music. Purcell, who died in November 1695, left music only for the Prologue and Acts II and III. His brother Daniel completed a masque for Act V.

The Indian Queen is one of Purcell's less often performed stage works. This is probably more a reflection of the incomplete state of the score than of its quality.