In his brief life, he established himself as one of the foremost English composers of all time. He was at the forefront of national life as court composer. He wrote much church music and his anthems have a particular place in the spirituality and musical quality of English church music. He also wrote operas, of which the best known are The Fairy Queen and Dido and Aeneas, from which comes his moving When I Am Laid in Earth. He lies buried in Westminster Abbey where he had been an organist.
