Julia Muller is retired. She taught English and American literature, including drama, at the graduate teachers’ college of the Free University of Amsterdam (yes, we have a different system here) and uses her knowledge of historical English to help singers pronounce and understand early vocal music.

Her PhD thesis was an analysis of the textual changes made in Fletcher and Massinger’s The Prophetess, or: The History of Dioclesian (1622-3) which turned it into Betterton and Purcell’s semi-opera of 1690.

Her husband, Frans Muller, is a retired interior architect with a profound interest in theatres, who designed and built sets for the Amsterdam-based English-Speaking Theatre of Amsterdam, before immersing himself in the architecture of Dorset Garden Theatre (1671-1709) for the benefit of Julie’s thesis.

We have been collaborating ever since. Our website, www.fransandjuliemuller.nl includes animations of scenes from the Purcell semi-operas at Dorset Garden and has recently been augmented by three new articles: on music theatre in London from Purcell through Handel, on the Patent Companies from 1660-1741 and on Dido and Aeneas.