ARNE, THOMAS AUGUSTINE English composer, was born in London, being the son of an upholsterer. Intended for the legal profession, he was educated at Eton, and afterwards apprenticed to an attorney for three years. His natural inclination for music, however, proved irresistible, and his father, after strongly opposing his wishes for a time, eventually pro vided the means for his training. On March 7 he produced his first work at Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre, a setting of Ad dison's Rosamond, the heroine's part being performed by his sister, Susanna Maria, who afterwards became celebrated as Mrs. Cibber. This, proving a success, was immediately followed by a burletta, entitled The Opera of Operas, based on Fielding's Trag edy of Tragedies. The part of Tom Thumb was played by Arne's younger brother, and the opera was produced at the Haymarket Theatre. On Dec. 19 1733, Arne produced at the same theatre the masque Dido and Aeneas, a subject which Purcell had treated more than half a century earlier in such a memorable fashion.
Ames individuality of style first distinctly asserted itself in the music to Dr. Dalion's adaptation of Milton's Comus, which was performed at Drury Lane in 1738, and speedily established his reputation. In 174o he wrote the music for Thomson and Mal let's Masque of Alfred, which, if otherwise unnoteworthy, will always be remembered as containing Rule, Britannia! In 174o he also wrote his beautiful settings of the songs Under the green wood tree, Blow, blow, thou winter wind and When daisies pied, for a performance of Shakespeare's As you like it.
Four years before this, in 1736, he had married Cecilia, the eldest daughter of Charles Young, organist of All Hallows, Bark ing. She was considered the finest English singer of the day and was frequently engaged by Handel for his performances. In 1742 Arne went with his wife to Dublin, where he remained two years and produced his oratorio Abel, containing the beautiful melody known as the Hymn of Eve, and the operas Britannia, Eliza and and where he also gave a number of successful con certs. On his return to London he was engaged as leader of the band at Drury Lane Theatre (1744), and as composer at Vaux hall In 1745 he composed his successful pastoral dialogue, Colin and Phoebe, and in 1746, in connexion with a revival of Shake speare's Tempest at Drury Lane, one of the most delightful of his songs, W here the bee sucks. In 1760 he transferred his serv ices to Covent Garden Theatre, where, Nov. 28, he produced his Thomas and Sally. Here, too, Feb. 2 1762, he produced his Artaxerxes, an opera in the Italian style with recitative instead of spoken dialogue, the popularity of which is attested by the fact that it continued to be performed at intervals for upwards of 8o years. The libretto, by Arne himself, was a very poor transla tion of Metastasio's Artaserse. In 1762 also was produced the ballad-opera Love in a Village. His oratorio Judith, of which the first performance was Feb. 27 1761, at Drury Lane, was revived at the Chapel of the Lock Hospital, Pimlico, Feb. 29 1764, in which year was also performed his setting of Metastasio's Olim piade in the original language at the King's Theatre in the Hay market. At a later performance of Judith at Covent Garden Theatre Feb. 26 1773, Arne for the first time introduced female voices into oratorio choruses. In 1769 he wrote the musical parts for Garrick's ode for the Shakespeare jubilee at Stratford-on Avon, and in 1770 he gave a mutilated version of Purcell's King Arthur. Ora of his last dramatic works was the music to Mason's Caractacus, published in 1775. Dr. Arne died March 5 1778, and was buried at St. Paul's, Covent Garden.
Though not to be reckoned the equal of his great predecessor Purcell, Arne has none the less high claims. There is true inspira tion in such airs as Blow, blow, thou winter wind, and Where the bee sucks, while Rule, Britannia! will last, it is hardly too much to say, as long as the English language. If as a writer of glees Arne does not take such high rank, he deserves notice as a leader in the revival of that peculiarly English form of composition. It may be added that he was author as well as composer of The Guardian Outwitted, The Rose, The Contest of Beauty and Virtue, and Phoebe at Court.
See the article in Grove's Dictionary and two interesting papers in the Musical Times, Nov. and Dec. 1901.