Music in eighteenth century England was dominated by foreigners; given the prominence of George Frideric Handel, Johann Christian Bach, and at the end of the century, Franz Josef Haydn, there was little left of the musical scene for a native composer to sink his or her teeth into. One local product who managed to compete successfully with the influx of Germans, Austrians, and Italians was Thomas Arne, who is known by the anthem "Rule Britannia," but little else, largely as so much of his work has been lost to time. Arne is ...
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Music in eighteenth century England was dominated by foreigners; given the prominence of George Frideric Handel, Johann Christian Bach, and at the end of the century, Franz Josef Haydn, there was little left of the musical scene for a native composer to sink his or her teeth into. One local product who managed to compete successfully with the influx of Germans, Austrians, and Italians was Thomas Arne, who is known by the anthem "Rule Britannia," but little else, largely as so much of his work has been lost to time. Arne is known to have composed or contributed to some 91 operas and other stage works, yet all but a handful have disappeared for good, including such intriguing titles as An Hospital for Fools (1739) or The Temple of Dullness (1745). Fortunately, some of the overtures to Arne's operas exist as they were published separately, and Chandos' Thomas Arne: Overtures features the best of them as performed expertly by Collegium Musicum 90 under Simon Standage.Thomas Arne: Overtures features 10...
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