What are catches in Henry Purcell’s music?

In the context of Henry Purcell’s music, catches are rounds written for three or more unaccompanied voices. In these pieces, all voices perform the same melody but enter at different time intervals, with each singer "catching" the tune in turn.12

While Purcell is recognized as a supreme composer of the form, these works were primarily intended as contributions to social merrymaking rather than formal concert pieces. They were particularly popular in 17th-century England following the Restoration, a period when composers often infused these works with both musical ingenuity and humorous or ribald lyrics. In some instances, the interplay between the voices was designed so that pauses in one melody were filled by the text and notes of another, creating new, often bawdy meanings.12