Dr. Arne and Rule, BritanniaCummings, William Hayman
History
Dr. Arne and Rule, Britannia
Cummings, William Hayman
Arne, Thomas Augustine, 1710-1778
A letter written by Mrs. Cibber to Garrick, dated the 1st of May, 1745,
gives interesting evidence of the amicable relations between Arne and
Garrick at that time: "I am very glad to hear you are better, and if
you dare venture out, shall be glad of your company at dinner. As you
are an invalid, pray send me word what you can eat, and at what hour
you will dine. I shall send _Tom_ [Arne] to meet you, and am Sir David,
Your most faithful friend and servant, to command till death."
On Saturday, the 28th of September, 1745, occurred a memorable scene
in the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The _Daily Advertiser_ published on
the Monday following describes it thus: "On Saturday night last, the
audience of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, were agreeably surprised by
the Gentlemen belonging to that House performing the Anthem of God
save our noble King. The universal Applause it met with, being encored
with repeated Huzzas, sufficiently denoted in how just an Abhorrence
they hold the arbitrary Schemes of our insidious Enemies, and detest
the despotick Attempts of Papal power." The Anthem was repeated nightly
till nearly the end of November, and the managers of Covent Garden
Theatre followed suit. The arrangement of the Anthem for Drury Lane was
made by Arne, who had for principal singers Mrs. Cibber, Mr. Beard, and
Mr. Reinhold. Mrs. Cibber being a contralto, the music had to be sung
in a low key. Arne's autograph manuscript written for the occasion is
in the British Museum: it will be interesting to see the melody of "God
save the King" as then sung:
[Music]
Arne's pupil Burney made the arrangement of "God save the King" for
Covent Garden Theatre; the enthusiasm excited at that theatre fully
equalled that of Drury Lane. Benjamin Victor, in a letter he wrote
to Garrick on the 10th of October, 1745, said "the stage, at both
houses, is the most _pious_, as well as the most _loyal_ place in the
three kingdoms. Twenty men appear at the end of every play; and one,
stepping forward from the rest, with uplifted hands and eyes, begins
singing, to an old anthem tune, the following words--God save the King."
In this year, 1745, Arne was appointed composer to Vauxhall Gardens,
for which fashionable place of amusement he wrote a considerable number
of songs, ballads, and a dialogue "Colin and Phoebe," which was
sung every evening throughout the season by Mrs. Arne and Mr. Lowe.
Engagements of a similar character at Marylebone Gardens and Ranelagh
gave great scope for his talents, and must have kept him fully occupied.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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