“(P.S.) I cannot help regarding the loss of Mrs. Arne with a kind of filial sorrow; she was the last survivor among those to whom I attached the idea of a parent. I lost my poor mother about 12 years ago, at the great age of 86. This letter must not be sealed before I have added my compliments and good wishes for the health of Miss Cecilia, sincerely hoping she will continue a constant source of comfort to you to your lives’ end!”
The following is a chronological list of music composed by Dr. Arne.
- 1733 Rosamond. Tom Thumb. Dido and Æneas.
- 1736 Zara. Serenata, Love and Glory. The fall of Phæton.
- 1738 Comus.
- 1739 An Hospital for fools.
- 1740 Alfred. Rule, Britannia. Judgment of Paris. As you like it.
- 1741 Twelfth Night. The Blind Beggar of Bethnal Green.
- 1742 Miss Lucy in town. Merchant of Venice.
- 1743 Britannia. Eliza.
- 1744 The death of Abel. Theodosius. The Rehearsal.
- 1745 The Temple of Dulness. King Pepin’s Campaign. Colin and Phœbe.
- 1746 The Tempest. Neptune and Amphitrite. Capochio and Dorinna. Miss in her Teens.
- 1747 The Tender Husband. Love’s Labour’s Lost.[30]
- 1749 Don Saverio. Much Ado about Nothing[30]. The Provok’d Wife.[30]
- 1750 Dirge in “Romeo and Juliet.” Ode on Cheerfulness.
- 1752 Harlequin Sorcerer. The Oracle.
- 1756 The Pincushion. The Sacrifice of Iphigenia.
- 1759 The Prophetess. The Sultan. Exercise Mus.Doc. Cymbeline. The She Gallants.
- 1760 Thomas and Sally. The Desert Island.
- 1761 Judith.
- 1762 Artaxerxes. Love in a Village.
- 1763 The Birth of Hercules.
- 1764 The Guardian Outwitted. Olimpiade. Perseus and Andromeda. Arcadian Nuptials.
- 1769 Shakespeare Ode. The Jovial Crew.
- 1770 Dirge. King Arthur. The Ladies’ Frolic.
- 1771 The Fairy Prince.
- 1772 The Cooper. Trip to Portsmouth. Squire Badger. Reffley Spring. The Rose. Elfrida.
- 1773 Pasticcio. The Contest of Beauty and Virtue. Achilles in Petticoats.
- 1774 The Rival Queens.
- 1775 Caractacus.
- 1776 Little Gipsy. Whittington’s Feast. Phœbe at Court. Phillis.
Arne composed many pieces for the “Nobleman’s Catch Club”; thirty-seven of these are printed in “Warren’s Collection” and in “Vocal Harmony.” Fifteen are English and Italian Catches, fourteen are Glees, and eight are Canons. There are published numerous songs, concertos, sonatas for harpsichord, and for violins and harpsichord. These are not dated in the foregoing list. In his orchestral compositions Arne employed piccolo, flutes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, trumpets and drums in addition to the usual strings, violins, violas, violetta, violoncelli, double-basses and harp. He used the device of pizzicato and of sordino; he also occasionally labelled imitative passages, for example, “The Owl,” in “Where the bee sucks.” He used the abbreviation
for
; possibly he introduced it.
Arne was the acknowledged author of the libretti of many stage-pieces and wrote the poetry of numerous songs. His known libretti included “Don Saverio,” 1750; “Artaxerxes,” 1762; “The Guardian Outwitted,” 1764; “The Rose,” 1772; “The Cooper,” 1772; “The Contest of Beauty and Virtue,” 1773; a “Pasticcio,” 1773; “Phœbe at Court,” 1776; and “Whittington’s Feast,” 1776.