Thomas Augustine Arne (1710-1778) - Harpsichord Concerto in G (1793)
Performers: Benedikt Celler (harpsichord); Domberg Kammerorchester; Wolfgang Kiechle (leitung)
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English composer, violinist and keyboard player. He was the most
significant figure in 18th-century English theatre music. As a youth,
Arne persisted in learning music despite parental disapproval,
eventually coming under the influence of Michael Festing, who taught him
violin and oversaw his musical education. He also attended Eton
College, and upon graduating practiced law for three years, before he,
his brother Robert, and his sister Susannah made their debut in his
masque Rosamund in 1733. By 1737 he was employed as composer in
residence at Drury Lane Theatre, and later, in 1750, moved to Covent
Garden after a dispute with the former’s manager, David Garrick. In 1741
he sued a publishing company over copyright, and although the issue was
settled privately, it marked one of the first instances where a
composer brought action in defense of his artistic rights. Arne’s
personal life was difficult; in 1755 he and his wife separated (to be
reconciled only a few months before his death), and he was overbearing
to theatre staff and relations. His adopted son, Michael Arne
(c.1740-1786), was also active as a composer. His composition was
focused almost exclusively on the stage, for which he composed around 90
works, including incidental music, masques, operas, pasticcios, and so
forth. Several of these achieved considerable fame, including the 1740
masque Alfred (later in 1755 turned into a three-act opera), written for
George II that included a vaudeville finale, which included a patriotic
tune “Rule Britannia”; one of the first through-sung comic operas,
Thomas and Sally, from 1760; a popular English seria, Artaxerxes, from
1762; and a parody of Alexander’s Feast, titled Whitington’s Feast, from
1776. His other surviving music includes 16 sonatas or lessons for the
keyboard (1756-1757), 27 odes and cantatas, well over 60 songs (many
published in collections), at least 20 catches and glees (including 11
written for the Noblemen and Gentlemen’s Catch Club), two Masses, two
oratorios (Judith and The Death of Abel), and several miscellaneous
sacred works. The 12 “symphonies or overtures” are derived from his
music for the theatre, as are the six keyboard concertos, which were
arranged and published in 1793. Arne’s style is noted for the simple
harmonies and textures but also for the colorful and innovative
orchestration. Arne’s music was vastly popular throughout the British
Empire of the period, with performances throughout the world and
especially in the various colonies.
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