Daniel Purcell was a younger brother of the great composer; the exact date of his birth is not known, but it is believed to have been about 1660. Of his early musical training nothing has been ascertained, he was too young when his father died to have received any instructions from him; possibly in his boyhood he may not have shown remarkable traits of musical ability; and in his more mature years his undoubted talent was altogether over-shadowed by the superior genius of his brother, to whom he was indebted for some part of the practical and theoretical knowledge of music he possessed. The first official appointment with which we can identify him is that of organist of Magdalen College, Oxford, to which he succeeded in 1686, soon after the ejectment from that post of Dr. Benjamin Rogers, who with the other fellows of the College was unjustly expelled by James II. In 1693 Daniel Purcell composed music for a "Saint Cecilia's Day Ode" written by Thomas Yalden, which is believed to have been performed at Oxford. He resigned his appointment at Magdalen College in 1695, in order that he might reside in London, and in the following year, 1696, composed music for the tragedy "Ibrahim XII.," written by Mary Pix; also for an opera called "Brutus of Alba, or Augusta's Triumph." This was written by George Powell, the comedian, and John Verbruggen; it was performed at the theatre in Dorset Gardens in the following year. The songs were immediately published with a dedication "to P. Norton and A. Henley, Esquires." In 1697, in conjunction with Jeremiah Clarke, he composed music for Settle's opera, "The New World in the Moon," and also for D'Urfey's opera, "Cynthia and Endymion." In 1698 he composed songs for a tragedy, "Phaeton, or the Fatal Divorce," written by Gildon, also an ode for the Princess Anne's birthday,[60] and an ode for Saint Cecilia's Day, written by Bishop.[61] In 1699, he was associated with Jeremiah Clarke and Leveridge in composing music for "The Island Princess," an opera by Motteux, and he also composed music for a "Saint Cecilia Ode" written by Addison for performance at Oxford. In 1700 he composed the work which has generally been considered his greatest success, an opera entitled "The Grove, or Love's Paradise," written by J. Oldmixon, and performed at Drury Lane. Daniel Purcell is said to have designed and penned this music whilst staying with his patron, Anthony Henley, of the Grange, in Hampshire, or at the residence of Philip Norton, of Southwick, in the same county, another of his patrons, who was in the habit of entertaining his friends in the summer time with dramatic representations.