Thomas Arne
Thomas Augustine Arne (March 12 1710 – March 5 1778) was an English composer.
Best known for the patriotic "Rule, Britannia!", Arne was born in the Covent Garden area of London; his father and grandfather were upholsterers. He was educated at Eton College. A chance meeting with composer Michael Christian Festing would become key as Festing would pursuade the elder Arne to allow his son to pursue a career in music. Arne's sister, Susannah Maria Arne, was a famous contralto, who performed in some of his works, including his first opera, Rosamund. They and their brother Richard would often perform Arne's works together.
Thomas Arne was a Freemason[1] and active in the organisation which has long been centred around the Covent Garden area of London, of which Arne was a native.
On 15 March 1737 [1], Arne married singer Cecilia Young, whose sister, Isabella was the wife of John Frederick Lampe. Arne's operas and masques became very popular, and he received the patronage of Frederick, Prince of Wales, at whose country home, Cliveden, the Masque of Alfred, featuring "Rule Britannia", was debuted.
In 1741 Arne filed a complaint in Chancery pertaining to a breach of musical copyright and claimed that some of his theatrical songs had been printed and sold by Henry Roberts and John Johnson, the London booksellers and music distributors. The matter was settled out of court. Thomas Arne subsequently wrote:
"As Mr. Arne has His Majesty's royal Patent for the sole printing and publishing of his works, he humbly hopes no Gentlemen or Ladies will give any Encouragement to pirated copies, written or printed, such persons who deliver them acting in open contempt of His Majesty's Authority and greatly injuring the Author in his Property. And as Mr. Arne can offend no honest Shopkeeper in maintaining his Right; he gives the Public Notice, that whosoever shall offer to write or print any of his works shall be prosecuted according to law."[cite this quote]
Arne was certainly one of the very first composers to have appealed to the law over copyright issues. [2]
In 1750, after an argument with David Garrick, Susannah left Drury Lane for Covent Garden Theatre, and Thomas followed. In 1755, he separated from Cecilia, who, he alleged, was mentally ill. He began a relationship with one of his pupils, Charlotte Brent, a soprano and former child prodigy; she later married a violinist. In 1777, shortly before his death, Arne and his wife were reconciled. They had one son, Michael Arne. Thomas Arne is buried at St Paul's, Covent Garden, London.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Website reference at the United Grand Lodge of England.
- ^ Arne, Handel, Walsh, and Music as Intellectual Property: Two Eighteenth-Century Lawsuits: Ronald J. Rabin and Steven Zohn:Journal of the Royal Musical Association, Vol. 120, No. 1 (1995), pp. 112-145
[edit] External links
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