Lillibullero
folk song (march) attributed to Henry Purcell
"Lillibullero" (also spelt Lillibulero, Lilliburlero, or Lilli Burlero) is a march attributed to Henry Purcell. Thomas Wharton wrote lyrics for the song. It became popular in England at the time of the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Many alternative lyrics have been written for the melody.
Background
The melody of "Lillibulero" is attributed to Henry Purcell. It is unclear whether he composed the tune or simply arranged it. It was first published in The Delightful Companion, John Playford's 1686 method book for recorder. The famous melody appears in the second half of a quickstep by Purcell. No original manuscript has been found. Writing over 200 years later, William Chappell surmised that Purcell's tune deserves nine-tenths of the credit for the popularity of the song.
The public source identifies “Lillibullero” as folk song (march) attributed to Henry Purcell. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Lillibullero, folk and song.
Why this record matters
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Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1434350. VIAF identifies the subject as 183465685. The Library of Congress control number is n79004448. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1688 and 1686.
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Three-step research path
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This entry incorporates text from “Lillibullero” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.