Thomas Augustine Arne

Thomas Augustine Arne is one of the British musicians most popular of his time. He was especially a talented type-setter of operas, leaving behind him about thirty works for the theater, of tens of instrumental parts and religious vocal works. 

 Thomas Augustine Arne
© NYPL Performing Arts/Lebrecht Music & Arts

Life :

Born in London in March 1710 (probably about on March 12th because its exact date of birth not being known with precision), Thomas Augustine Arne is baptized on May 18th, 1710 at the church of St. Paul's, Covent Garden. He’s resulting from an easy catholic family, his parents exerting the trade of tapestry makers. The Arne’s children could then profit from a solid education; Thomas was supposed to become a brilliant lawyer. 

But the boy was impassioned and especially very gifted for the music. He initially studies the harpsichord and the violin, in hiding-place, his father badly accepting the occupation of musician for his son. Once convinced by one of his professors, the father gave his blessing to Thomas so that he makes his trade of it. 

Nevertheless, in a country with wars of religion between Catholicism and Protestantism, Thomas Augustine Arne cannot reach official functions because its Catholic religion prohibits to him. 

However, he learns singing with his sister and to his brother and all three start a musical career. It's with them that it created its first Opera, Rosamond in 1733.

In 1736, he married singer Cecilia Young, the daughter of an organist and raises of Geminiani. He composes several masks successfully. He becomes a very appreciated type-setter then, both for the incidental musics instrumental works. He's one of the most snuffed musicians of his time and was even named D.Mus.

However, even if Thomas Arne were a man respected of all, he had many financial problems, in particular about 1770. Thomas Auguste Arne dies on March 5th, 1778 in the town of London.

Work :

As for the majority of the type-setters of its time, the first works are lost. One considers that the first important work of Thomas Arne is his arrangement of Rosamond, of Joseph Addison. Unfortunately, a good part of this piece is now lost. The first interpretation of this arrangement, in 1733, is a family affair, with his sister taking the principal part and the part of the page-boy taken by his brother at the theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields. 

“Rule, Britannia! ” from the opera “Alfred” (1740), made and makes still the fame of Arne - in any case in the United Kingdom, where he is still frequently sung. 

Thomas Arne is a prolific type-setter in his time, with thirty operas (of which “Artaxerxès” is crowned success), many masks, various musics for the theatre (for Shakespeare for example), sonatas for the harpsichord and other instruments, concertos for organ, of the openings, the symphonies and various parts of instrumental music, without forgetting a big part reserved for the catholic sacred music.  

If one wants to have a more precise idea of his music, one can bring it closer to the gallant style so much in vogue at the XVIIIs. As a large melodist, Thomas Arne could be made serious famous, allowing him not to be completely made eclipse by Georg Friedrich Haendel or other more recognized type-setters of his time.

Isaac Albeniz (1860 - 1909)

Isaac Albéniz is regarded today as a pioneer in the rebirth of the Spanish music at the beginning of the XXs. Equipped with a generous temperament and an inspiration without limits, he gives to his music an Andalusian character, mixing with the romantic influence of Mendelssohn, Schumann or Liszt. He's one of the first Spanish type-setters, with Granados, to base a music on traditional popular elements and to open the way to his successors of which most faithful representing is Manuel of Falla.

Isaac Albéniz is born on May 29th, 1860 in Camprodon, Catalonia. He's an incredibly early child, beginning the piano at age three and gives his first recitals in front of a public as of the following year. Such a genius is not without recalling the Mozart young person. So, he lives only for concerts, rounds during which he acquires technique, experiment and become virtuoso and even improviser. 

Nevertheless in 1872-1873, he makes a running away which leads him to the United States and in South America. His life is then not easy: in 1874, he's even victim of a crisis of yellow fever!

After these hard months, Albéniz comes back home and succeeds in obtaining a purse to follow the teaching of Brassin to Brussels. He seems happy: he meets Liszt in 1880, gives many concerts in South America, in Cuba, in Spain… He also starts to compose his first works and writes some zarzuelas (1882). He meets his future wife, marry her and move quickly at Barcelona then in Madrid (1885).

His first works are very influenced by the academism and the romanticism of Mendelssohn, Schumann or Liszt, and carry the mark of hispanism of the zarzuelas. He gives up nevertheless the traditional methods rather quickly and forges his own style in his piano music. The various parts of the "Suite Espagnole" even enable him to be regarded as the founder of the Spanish school.

In 1890, Albéniz seeks other horizons. He settles in London during three years in order to obtain a success in the field of the opera. In 1894, he lives in Paris and enters the closed circle of the franckists. He meets Debussy, Dukas or Fauré and becomes even piano teacher in Schola Cantorum.

In Paris, it composes some successes, such "La Vega" and "Les Chants d'Espagne" (1897) which enable him to be finally a recognized artist. Spain, on the other hand, remains insensitive. Disappointed by this reception, he disavows his native land ; the four books of "Iberia" shows this disappointment. 

Albéniz dies on May 18th, 1909 at age 47 of Bright's disease, and is buried at the Montjuic Cemetery, Barcelona. 

Except some zarzuelas, vocal works and some parts for orchestra, Isaac Albéniz composes especially for the piano. His work is immense, written and improvised. Unfortunately for us, most of his production is lost. That is due to the type-setter and his unmethodical spirit, at the musical bottom transmitted of an editor to another that with a chaotic classification of opus. As for the catalog remaining in our possession, it reveals self-educated Albéniz, improvisation's virtuoso, sometimes imitating the romantic ones, sometimes a typically Spanish music which reflects pretty musical postcards. Today, contemporaries like Messiaen or Stockhausen always use his pianistic's langage.

Welcome to Ars-classical

Ars-classical is a french website (www.ars-classical.com) devoted to classical music. 

Now here is the French version and not a simple translation.

It offers a variety of services, like composer  bios, works analysis…

You can also surf though the centuries to a better understanding of the musician’s historical context. 

Take a ridefor a musical trip with Ars-Classical...