Cecilia Young
Encyclopedia
Cecilia Young (born January 1712, London – 6 October 1789 London) was one of the greatest English soprano
s of the eighteenth century, the wife of composer
Thomas Arne, and the mother of composer Michael Arne
. According to music historian Charles Burney
, she had "a good natural voice and a fine shake [and] had been so well taught, that her style of singing was infinitely superior to that of any other English woman of her time". She was part of a well-known English family of musicians that included several professional singers and organists. Young enjoyed a large amount of success through her close association with George Frideric Handel
. She appeared in several of his oratorio
s and opera
s including the premieres of Ariodante
(1735), Alcina
(1735), Alexander’s Feast
(1736) and Saul
(1739).
Cecilia Young was born in London sometime during January 1712 and was baptised on the following 7 February. Born into the well known Young family of musicians, both her father, Charles Young
, and his brother, Anthony Young
, were well known organist
s and minor composer
s. The eldest of four, Cecilia's younger sisters, Isabella
and Esther
, were also successful singers. Although her younger brother Charles was a clerk at the Treasury and not a professional musician, his daughters Isabella
, Elizabeth
, and Polly
followed in the foot steps of their aunts to become successful singers.
Cecilia's earliest musical studies were under her father but she eventually became a pupil of Francesco Geminiani
. She made her professional singing debut in a series of concerts during March 1730. She made her opera debut two years later in a production by John Frederick Lampe
, her brother-in-law, and J. S. Smith. She appeared in several more of their operas over the next two years. Through her association with Lampe, Cecilia met the young composer and her future husband Thomas Arne. She appeared in his first opera Rosamund on 7 March 1733.
In 1734 Cecilia met George Frideric Handel
after the composer heard her in concert. Impressed with the young singer, he immediately decided to hire her to portray the role of Dalinda in his upcoming opera Ariodante
. The work premiered at the Covent Garden Theatre
on 8 January 1735 and Young's performance, along with the rest of the cast, was enthusiasically received. This was the beginning of a fruitful association between Cecilia and Handel which would last over the next decade. She appeared in several of his productions including the role of Morgana in the world premier of Alcina
(1735) and in the world premiers of the oratorios Alexander’s Feast
(1736) and Saul
(1739). She also sang the title role in the first London performance of Athalia and appeared in several revivals of the composers works during the early 1740s.
By 1736, Cecilia was romantically involved with composer Thomas Arne. Her father, however, was opposed to their marrying as Arne was a Roman Catholic and did not follow the teachings of the Church of England
. Against her father's will, Cecilia married Arne on 15 March 1737. After their marriage, she appeared in several of her husband's stage productions including the immensely popular masque
s Comus
(1738), Alfred (1740), and The Judgement of Paris
(1742). Cecilia's singing and her strong acting skills became indispensable assets to her husband and she contributed greatly to his first enduring successes.
In either late 1740 or early 1741, Cecilia gave birth to her only child Michael Arne
who would grow up to be a composer. Up until this time, Cecilia's career had been confined almost solely to London. However, this changed when her sister-in-law and celebrated actress/singer Susannah Arne moved to Dublin in December 1741 in order to avoid the scandal surrounding her recently failed marriage to actor Theophilus Cibber
. Susannah began performing in Dublin with Handel in the spring of 1742. She most notably sang the contralto solos in the first performance of Handel's Messiah
on April 13. Their success inspired Thomas Arne and Cecilia to try their luck in Dublin and they soon arrived, along with tenor Thomas Lowe
, the following June. The Arnes stayed for two seasons in Dublin and staged a number of Handel oratorio
s in addition to several of Thomas's works. Cecilia sang in most of these concerts including the premiere of her husband's first oratorio The Death of Abel at Dublin's Smock Alley Theatre
on 18 February 1744. Cecilia also gave a solo concert in Dublin that year which was received enthusiastically.
The Arnes returned to London in August 1744. Shortly thereafter, Thomas began a long and fruitful association with concerts in London's pleasure gardens when vocal performance became one of the regular forms of entertainment. He became the appointed official composer for Vauxhall
in 1745 and also presented material at the Marylebone
and Ranelagh Gardens
. Cecilia performed in many of these concerts in 1745 and 1746 including Colin and Phoebe which, according to Charles Burney, was “constantly encored every night for more than three months”.
In 1746 Cecilia began to experience intermittent health problems which would plague her for the rest of her life. As a result her singing appearances became much less frequent and she only appeared in a handful of stage roles over the next decade, the last being as Britannia in Arne's Eliza in 1754. Her concert schedule was also much diminished with her only notable appearances being a 1748 winter concert season in Dublin with the Lampes, where she sang the role of Galatea in Handel's Acis and Galatea, and a few intermittent concerts in London between 1747–1754. To compound her problems, Cecilia's marriage was becoming increasingly unhappy. In 1755 the couple returned to Dublin for performances at the Smock Alley Theatre and while there the marriage broke down with Thomas leaving Cecilia in Ireland with her young niece Polly. Thomas filed for legal separation alleging that she was mentally ill. He agreed to support her with £40 a year, though in 1758 her friend Mrs Delany wrote that she was "much humbled", teaching singing in Downpatrick
: "She has been severely used by a bad husband, and suffered to starve, if she had not met with charitable people". However, other records indicate that she received a reasonable amount of money from the sales of published collections of his music.
Cecilia returned to London with Polly in 1762. She made only one more known public performance, appearing at a benefit concert for Polly and her husband, composer François-Hippolyte Barthélémon
, in 1774. She reconciled with her husband shortly before his death in 1778, after which she lived with Polly and François until her death in 1789.
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
s of the eighteenth century, the wife of composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Thomas Arne, and the mother of composer Michael Arne
Michael Arne
Michael Arne was an English composer, harpsichordist, organist, singer, and actor. He was the son of composer Thomas Arne and lauded soprano Cecilia Young, the latter of which belonged to the famous Young family of musicians of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries...
. According to music historian Charles Burney
Charles Burney
Charles Burney FRS was an English music historian and father of authors Frances Burney and Sarah Burney.-Life and career:...
, she had "a good natural voice and a fine shake [and] had been so well taught, that her style of singing was infinitely superior to that of any other English woman of her time". She was part of a well-known English family of musicians that included several professional singers and organists. Young enjoyed a large amount of success through her close association with George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
. She appeared in several of his oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
s and opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s including the premieres of Ariodante
Ariodante
Ariodante is an opera seria in three acts by Handel. The anonymous Italian libretto was based on a work by Antonio Salvi, which in turn was adapted from Canti 5 and 6 of Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando Furioso...
(1735), Alcina
Alcina
Alcina is an opera seria by George Frideric Handel. Handel used the libretto of L'isola di Alcina, an opera that was set in 1728 in Rome by Riccardo Broschi, which he acquired the year after, during his travels in Italy...
(1735), Alexander’s Feast
Alexander's Feast (Handel)
Alexander's Feast is an ode with music by George Frideric Handel set to a libretto by Newburgh Hamilton. Hamilton adapted his libretto from John Dryden's ode Alexander's Feast, or the Power of Music which had been written to celebrate Saint Cecilia's Day...
(1736) and Saul
Saul (Handel)
Saul is an oratorio in three acts written by George Frideric Handel with a libretto by Charles Jennens. Taken from the 1st Book of Samuel, the story of Saul focuses on the first king of Israel’s relationship with his eventual successor, David; one which turns from admiration to envy and hatred,...
(1739).
Early life, education, and early career
Charles Young (musician)
Charles Young was an English organist and composer. He was part of a well-known English family of musicians that included several professional singers and organists during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries....
, and his brother, Anthony Young
Anthony Young (musician)
Anthony Young was an English organist and composer. He was part of a well-known English family of musicians that included several professional singers and organists during the 17th and 18th centuries.-Biography:...
, were well known organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
s and minor composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
s. The eldest of four, Cecilia's younger sisters, Isabella
Isabella Lampe
Isabella Lampe was an English operatic soprano and the wife of composer John Frederick Lampe...
and Esther
Esther Young
Esther Young was an English operatic contralto and the wife of music publisher Charles Jones...
, were also successful singers. Although her younger brother Charles was a clerk at the Treasury and not a professional musician, his daughters Isabella
Isabella Young
Isabella Young was an English mezzo-soprano and organist who had a successful career as a concert performer and opera singer during the latter half of the eighteenth century...
, Elizabeth
Elizabeth Young (contralto)
Elizabeth Young was an English contralto and actress. She was part of a well-known English family of musicians that included several professional singers and organists during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries....
, and Polly
Polly Young
Polly Young was an English soprano, composer and keyboard player. She was part of a well-known English family of musicians that included several professional singers and organists during the 17th and 18th centuries...
followed in the foot steps of their aunts to become successful singers.
Cecilia's earliest musical studies were under her father but she eventually became a pupil of Francesco Geminiani
Francesco Geminiani
thumb|230px|Francesco Geminiani.Francesco Saverio Geminiani was an Italian violinist, composer, and music theorist.-Biography:...
. She made her professional singing debut in a series of concerts during March 1730. She made her opera debut two years later in a production by John Frederick Lampe
John Frederick Lampe
John Frederick Lampe was a musician.He was born in Saxony, but came to England in 1724 and played the bassoon in opera houses. His wife, Isabella Lampe, was sister-in-law to the composer Thomas Arne with whom Lampe collaborated on a number of concert seasons...
, her brother-in-law, and J. S. Smith. She appeared in several more of their operas over the next two years. Through her association with Lampe, Cecilia met the young composer and her future husband Thomas Arne. She appeared in his first opera Rosamund on 7 March 1733.
In 1734 Cecilia met George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
after the composer heard her in concert. Impressed with the young singer, he immediately decided to hire her to portray the role of Dalinda in his upcoming opera Ariodante
Ariodante
Ariodante is an opera seria in three acts by Handel. The anonymous Italian libretto was based on a work by Antonio Salvi, which in turn was adapted from Canti 5 and 6 of Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando Furioso...
. The work premiered at the Covent Garden Theatre
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
on 8 January 1735 and Young's performance, along with the rest of the cast, was enthusiasically received. This was the beginning of a fruitful association between Cecilia and Handel which would last over the next decade. She appeared in several of his productions including the role of Morgana in the world premier of Alcina
Alcina
Alcina is an opera seria by George Frideric Handel. Handel used the libretto of L'isola di Alcina, an opera that was set in 1728 in Rome by Riccardo Broschi, which he acquired the year after, during his travels in Italy...
(1735) and in the world premiers of the oratorios Alexander’s Feast
Alexander's Feast (Handel)
Alexander's Feast is an ode with music by George Frideric Handel set to a libretto by Newburgh Hamilton. Hamilton adapted his libretto from John Dryden's ode Alexander's Feast, or the Power of Music which had been written to celebrate Saint Cecilia's Day...
(1736) and Saul
Saul (Handel)
Saul is an oratorio in three acts written by George Frideric Handel with a libretto by Charles Jennens. Taken from the 1st Book of Samuel, the story of Saul focuses on the first king of Israel’s relationship with his eventual successor, David; one which turns from admiration to envy and hatred,...
(1739). She also sang the title role in the first London performance of Athalia and appeared in several revivals of the composers works during the early 1740s.
Mid life and career
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. Against her father's will, Cecilia married Arne on 15 March 1737. After their marriage, she appeared in several of her husband's stage productions including the immensely popular masque
Masque
The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment which flourished in 16th and early 17th century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio...
s Comus
Comus (Arne)
Comus is a masque in three acts by composer Thomas Arne. The work uses an English libretto by John Dalton that is based on John Milton's 1634 masque of the same name. The work premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London on 4 March 1738.-History:...
(1738), Alfred (1740), and The Judgement of Paris
The Judgement of Paris (opera)
The Judgement of Paris is an operatic libretto written by William Congreve. It was set by four British Baroque composers - John Weldon, John Eccles, Daniel Purcell and Gottfried Finger - as part of a music competition held in 1700-1701...
(1742). Cecilia's singing and her strong acting skills became indispensable assets to her husband and she contributed greatly to his first enduring successes.
In either late 1740 or early 1741, Cecilia gave birth to her only child Michael Arne
Michael Arne
Michael Arne was an English composer, harpsichordist, organist, singer, and actor. He was the son of composer Thomas Arne and lauded soprano Cecilia Young, the latter of which belonged to the famous Young family of musicians of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries...
who would grow up to be a composer. Up until this time, Cecilia's career had been confined almost solely to London. However, this changed when her sister-in-law and celebrated actress/singer Susannah Arne moved to Dublin in December 1741 in order to avoid the scandal surrounding her recently failed marriage to actor Theophilus Cibber
Theophilus Cibber
Theophilus Cibber was an English actor, playwright, author, and son of the actor-manager Colley Cibber.He began acting at an early age, and followed his father into theatrical management. In 1727, Alexander Pope satirized Theophilus Cibber in his Dunciad as a youth who "thrusts his person full...
. Susannah began performing in Dublin with Handel in the spring of 1742. She most notably sang the contralto solos in the first performance of Handel's Messiah
Messiah (Handel)
Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...
on April 13. Their success inspired Thomas Arne and Cecilia to try their luck in Dublin and they soon arrived, along with tenor Thomas Lowe
Thomas Lowe (tenor)
Thomas Lowe was an English tenor and actor. He began his career at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1740. That same year he portrayed the title role in the world premiere of Thomas Arne's Alfred. He sang principally at Covent Garden until 1760 and became particularly associated with the works of...
, the following June. The Arnes stayed for two seasons in Dublin and staged a number of Handel oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
s in addition to several of Thomas's works. Cecilia sang in most of these concerts including the premiere of her husband's first oratorio The Death of Abel at Dublin's Smock Alley Theatre
Theatre Royal, Dublin
At one stage in the history of the theatre in Britain and Ireland, the designation Theatre Royal or Royal Theatre was an indication that the theatre was granted a Royal Patent without which theatrical performances were illegal...
on 18 February 1744. Cecilia also gave a solo concert in Dublin that year which was received enthusiastically.
The Arnes returned to London in August 1744. Shortly thereafter, Thomas began a long and fruitful association with concerts in London's pleasure gardens when vocal performance became one of the regular forms of entertainment. He became the appointed official composer for Vauxhall
Vauxhall Gardens
Vauxhall Gardens was a pleasure garden, one of the leading venues for public entertainment in London, England from the mid 17th century to the mid 19th century. Originally known as New Spring Gardens, the site was believed to have opened before the Restoration of 1660 with the first mention being...
in 1745 and also presented material at the Marylebone
Marylebone Gardens
Marylebone or Marybone Gardens was a London pleasure garden sited in the grounds of the old manor house of Marylebone and frequented from the mid-17th century, when Marylebone was a village separated from London by fields and market gardens, to the third quarter of the 18th century...
and Ranelagh Gardens
Ranelagh Gardens
Ranelagh Gardens were public pleasure gardens located in Chelsea, then just outside London, England in the 18th century.-History:The Ranelagh Gardens were so called because they occupied the site of Ranelagh House, built in 1688-89 by the first Earl of Ranelagh, Treasurer of Chelsea Hospital ,...
. Cecilia performed in many of these concerts in 1745 and 1746 including Colin and Phoebe which, according to Charles Burney, was “constantly encored every night for more than three months”.
Later life and career
Downpatrick
Downpatrick is a medium-sized town about 33 km south of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the county town of Down with a rich history and strong connection to Saint Patrick. It had a population of 10,316 at the 2001 Census...
: "She has been severely used by a bad husband, and suffered to starve, if she had not met with charitable people". However, other records indicate that she received a reasonable amount of money from the sales of published collections of his music.
Cecilia returned to London with Polly in 1762. She made only one more known public performance, appearing at a benefit concert for Polly and her husband, composer François-Hippolyte Barthélémon
François-Hippolyte Barthélémon
François Hippolyte Barthélemon was a French violinist, pedagogue, and composer active in England.-Biography:François Barthélemon was born in Bordeaux , France. He received his education in Paris, where he studied musical composition and violin, and performed in the orchestra of the Comédie-Italienne...
, in 1774. She reconciled with her husband shortly before his death in 1778, after which she lived with Polly and François until her death in 1789.