William Hayman Cummings

“ Garrick, though I wish him immortal, to the grief of the discerning world, is not so—sickness, pain, mortality may intervene. Let it not be said, that so great a master of his art is deaf or blind to rising merit. I tell you bona fide, that the young woman and young girl [Miss Weller’s sister] whom I recommended, are real objects of your notice, as handsome women, complete figures, and promising actresses, abstracted from their utility as singers. ”

“ The first published score of “Rule, Britannia” enables us to note that both words and music have undergone considerable changes, some of them undoubtedly improvements and others the reverse. The elimination of the short ritornelles, or symphonies, which Arne wrote between the several lines of the verses, brings the subject-matter closer together and makes it more adaptable for a national song. On the other hand, the alteration of the melody in the last bar of the solo cannot be commended, neither can the change of melody and harmony at the end of the first bar of the chorus. ”

“ To this letter Garrick replied: “Drury Lane Theatre, Aug. 24, 1775. Dear Sir,—I am very sorry that Mrs. Greville (to whom I gave free leave to assist you) should behave so ill to you, and more so, that your loss will be so great by her ill-behaviour. The managers of Drury-lane have no intention to employ a constant composer, but to engage with different gentlemen, as business may arise in the theatre. How can you imagine that I have an irresistible apathy to you? I suppose you mean antipathy, my dear Doctor, by the general turn of your letter. ”

“ On Saturday we dined at Mr. Bayly’s; Miss Bayly had gone on a party of pleasure. I was surprised there at meeting Mrs. Arne (Miss Young that was) ; they have her in the house to teach Miss Bayly to sing; she was recommended to Mr. Bayly by Mrs. Berkeley as an object of compassion. She looks, indeed, much humbled, and I hope is as deserving as they think her to be; great allowances are to be made for the temptations those poor people fall under. She has been severely used by a bad [Pg 48] husband, and suffered to starve, if she had not met with charitable people. ”

“ Arne’s connection with the theatre provided him with a splendid opening for his talent as composer. Dr. John Dalton, a Prebendary of Worcester Cathedral and Rector of St. Mary-at-hill, London, prepared a stage version of Milton’s “Comus.” He interpolated verses taken from other works of the poet, and added some songs of his own, all requiring music; and, as the sequel proved, no composer could have carried out the task more efficiently than Arne, who entered upon his [Pg 13] welcome labours with real enthusiasm, and easily earned the reputation of being the best English composer of the day. ”

“ When Mallet produced his version of “Alfred” for Garrick in 1751, he endeavoured to make folk believe that he wrote the words of the Ode, “Rule, Britannia.” They had been printed in Edinburgh in a popular song-book, “The Charmer,” with Thomson’s initials, J. T., and by the friends of the poet were generally known to be his. Mallet’s literary honesty or dishonesty is now generally appreciated, but it must not be forgotten that for years he posed as the author of the ballad “William and Margaret,” and unflinchingly accepted all the encomiums passed upon him in connection with it. ”

“ Arne, the composer of “Rule, Britannia,” offers to the reader and to the music student an interesting and instructive story, showing that natural ability, even when combined with genius, is not sufficient to ensure a triumphant and successful career. Morality and conscientious rectitude in the affairs of life are essential, and had Arne exercised these, his exceptional gifts might have enabled him to surpass his great contemporary, Handel. ”

“ There is a preface to the book explaining what is a Catch and what a Glee. Arne wrote, “these kinds of entertainment (in the time of Mr. Henry Purcell) were so much in fashion, that in most polite families, after dinner and supper, it was a custom to lay the choicest collections of Catches and Glees on the table, and thought a deficiency of education in those, who could not readily perform a part.” The concert commenced with a New Grand Overture by Dr. Arne, and was succeeded by a Catch of his composition, “The family quarrel,” which “gained a golden prize-medal in the year 1764.” ”

“ She behaves herself very well, and though her voice has lost its bloom as well as her face, she sings well, and was well taught by Geminiani and Handel, and had she not been idle would have been a charming singer. Mr. Bayly plays on the violin, his curate on the German flute; Mrs. Arne and Miss Bayly sing, and a girl of nine years old [15] accompanies them on the harpsichord most surprisingly; she is a niece of Mrs. Arne’s; the race of the Youngs are born songsters and musicians. It is very agreeable to have such an entertainment in our power to go to whenever we please.” Poor Mrs. Arne! ”

“ The morning after Arne’s decease he told the company assembled in the music-room at the theatre that he “was talking on the subject of music with the Doctor, who suffered much from exhaustion, when, in attempting to illustrate what he had advanced, he in a very feeble and tremulous voice sung part of an air, during which he became [Pg 97] progressively more faint, until he breathed his last, making as our immortal Shakespeare expresses it, a swan-like end fading in 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 [Pg 37] “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.” ”

“ Humanum est errare, therefore the main study of every wise man is to arrive at rectitude, which cannot possibly be accomplished by giving an implicit concession to our first determinations. But shall Arne, a musician, have the hardiesse to dispute with Garrick, in his own way?—Yes, if Garrick, not giving himself time to debate on the natural effects arising from their causes, peremptorily gives his ego dixi to what does not (to Arne) appear natural. ”

“ Would not an apple-woman, who should see so fine a youth, merely in the cast, naturally clap her hands together, through depth of concern, and exclaim ‘Ah, poor soul! God bless him and take him to his mercy!’—perhaps shed tears? ”

“ As peace and quiet are all the enjoyments which a man of my age can hope for, if he is in his senses, which, in spite of base and wicked minded people, I thank God I have not yet lost, I shall not fly in a passion at your very ungenerous treatment ”

“ 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. ”

“ Arne’s libretto was published by Tonson in 1763, with a preface written by the composer. A short extract follows: “Metastasio, in his Dialect, seems to affect Simplicity; and from his great Experience in writing for music, has given the following Plan for the Poetry of an Opera, viz., That the Fable, or Recitative, to which fixed Musical Sounds are adapted, should be simple Dialect; hard and dissonant Epithets (though ever so forcible in other Respects) being destructive to Music, and, when sung, for the chief Part, unintelligible. ”

“ The libretto is printed in double columns, the left giving Dryden’s text, the right the College Wag’s parody. It may suffice to say that there are seventeen pages of vulgarity and sometimes indecency. The music, which extends to two hundred and fifty pages in the manuscript score, is superior to the poetry. There is no Overture; the various songs and choruses are palpably meant to be in imitation of Handel, but like the words they fail to detract from the value of the originals they vainly burlesque. There is evidence that Arne intended to have a public performance of “Whittington’s Feast” ”

“ Arne was interred in the burial ground on the north side of St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, on the 15th of March, and the fact was noted in the Parish Register, he being described simply as “Thomas Arne.” No memorial of him was erected, but his son suggested a scheme for placing a monument in Westminster Abbey. This, like most of Michael Arne’s projects, ended in talk; indeed, he only survived his father eight years, and died in South Lambeth on the 14th of January, 1786, leaving a widow, his second wife, in destitute circumstances. His career had been a varied one. ”

“ She hopes Doctor Arne has not so little humanity as to add to her Misery by refusing her a Necessary Subsistance if not Equal to Dr. Arne’s wife yet Sufficient to provide her with Common Necessaries which ’tis impossible for her to do for less than a Guinea a week. If that is paid into Mr. Rennett’s hands Weekly who will have the Receipts ready Mrs. Arne must Content herself with wearing out an Unhappy Life depriv’d of that Comfort which She had a right to expect from her Husband. ”

“ Burney said, “her style of singing was infinitely superior to that of any other English woman of her time.”
Charles Young refused to sanction his daughter’s marriage with Arne on account of the latter’s religious principles. It is said he never forgave her. [6] In the year of his marriage, Arne wrote the incidental music for “Zara,” a tragedy produced at Drury Lane Theatre, in which his sister Mrs. Cibber first gave proof of her extraordinary ability as a tragic actress as well as singer. She captivated everyone by her native sweetness of voice and powers of expression ”

“ I always respected that benevolence of heart which inclined you both to afford the poor soul an asylum after age and infirmity had deprived her of those talents, and however inconvenient it may have sometimes been, I am certain you will always think of it with the pleasure which reflecting upon good actions constantly affords to minds capable of performing them. ”

“ If other people had been as inhuman, what must have become of a Man, who is a laborious Slave to support his necessary Dependants; insomuch that he does not enjoy three days’ ease and pleasure the whole year round? ”

“ The youth became well known as a composer and performer in London and Dublin. One of his songs, popular to-day, “The lass with a delicate air,” is sometimes ascribed in error to his father.
In 1752 Arne composed music for “Harlequin Sorcerer,” an old pantomime in which Rich had many years before made a great success. The performance took place at Covent Garden Theatre on the 11th of February, and there was an overwhelming demand for seats; the doors were therefore opened at three o’clock in the afternoon. The performers included Mrs. Arne, Mrs. Lampe, Mr. Lowe, Mr. Legge, and a Chorus. ”

“ Tenducci, two flutes are added to the orchestration; and in another air, “With heroes and sages,” also sung by Tenducci, we find the bassoons have parts independent of the basses, a somewhat novel departure at the period when Arne wrote. An air, “No more the Heathen shall blaspheme,” sung by Mr. Fawcett, has the novel accompaniment of two violoncellos and bass; no other instruments until the last four bars of symphony, when the violins are introduced. Fortunately the composer’s autograph score exists in the British Museum, and in that we find much of interest. ”

“ For ’tis not a face that must carry the prize.
We have no record how they managed the stage business at Clieveden, but it must have presented some difficulty. A Recitative for Pallas is remarkable for the vigour of the instrumental accompaniment, and the Air “The glorious voice it was” is very spiritedly supported by strings, oboes, trumpets and drums. A fine Recitative, “Stay, lovely youth,” sung by Mrs. Arne is also worthy of mention. At the close of the year 1740, on the 20th of December, Shakespeare’s “As you like it” was played at Drury Lane Theatre, the first time for forty years. ”

“ The manuscript, evidently intended for the organist, gives the necessary organ-bass part; this solo, in the key of A minor, leads into a short chorus in C major to the words “Quando Cœli morendi sunt.” A solo [Pg 72] for a tenor voice to the words “Dies illa, Dies iræ,” exhibits Arne’s skill in writing vocal music, and is a very touching and effective piece of work; it is followed without a break by a chorus, “Dies Magna”; the next movement is a soprano solo, “Requiem æternam,” in E major, a charming melody, with Italian fiorituri. ”