Samuel Arnold (composer)
Encyclopedia
Samuel Arnold was an English
composer
and organist
.
Arnold was born in London
(his mother is said to have been Princess Amelia; his father was Thomas Arnold), and began writing music
for the theatre
in about 1764. A few years later he became director of music at the Marylebone Gardens
, for which much of his popular music
was written. In 1777 he went to work for George Colman the Elder
at the Little Theatre, Haymarket
. In 1783 he became organist at the Chapel Royal
, and in 1793 he became organist at Westminster Abbey
, where he was eventually buried.
Arnold's best-known works include:
He is also known for producing the first collected edition of the works of George Frideric Handel
between 1787 and 1797, published in 180 parts. This was the most comprehensive collection of Handel's music prior to the appearance of the Händel-Gesellschaft
edition in the next century.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
and 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...
.
Arnold was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(his mother is said to have been Princess Amelia; his father was Thomas Arnold), and began writing music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
for the theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
in about 1764. A few years later he became director of music at the Marylebone Gardens
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...
, for which much of his popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
was written. In 1777 he went to work for George Colman the Elder
George Colman the Elder
George Colman was an English dramatist and essayist, usually called "the Elder", and sometimes "George the First", to distinguish him from his son, George Colman the Younger....
at the Little Theatre, Haymarket
The Haymarket
Haymarket is a street in the St. James's district of the City of Westminster, London. It runs from Piccadilly Circus at the north to Pall Mall at the south...
. In 1783 he became organist at the Chapel Royal
Chapel Royal
A Chapel Royal is a body of priests and singers who serve the spiritual needs of their sovereign wherever they are called upon to do so.-Austria:...
, and in 1793 he became organist at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
, where he was eventually buried.
Arnold's best-known works include:
- The Maid of the Mill (1765)
- AbimelechAbimelech (oratorio)Abimelech is an oratorio in three acts written by Christopher Smart and put to music by Samuel Arnold. It was first performed in Haymarket Theatre in 1768. A heavily revised version of the oratorio ran at the Covent Garden in 1772. Abimelech was the second of two oratorio librettos written by...
(1768) - The Prodigal Son (1773)
- The Baron KinkvervankotsdorsprakingatchdernThe Baron KinkvervankotsdorsprakingatchdernThe Baron Kinkvervankotsdorsprakingatchdern is an 18th century comic opera written by English composer Samuel Arnold and English playwright Miles Peter Andrews .The opera was based on a novel by Lady Craven...
(1781) - The Castle of Andalusia (1782)
- Turk and No Turk (1785)
- Inkle and YaricoInkle and YaricoInkle and Yarico is a comic opera first staged in London, England in August 1787, with music by Samuel Arnold and a libretto by George Colman the Younger....
(1787)
He is also known for producing the first collected edition of the works of 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...
between 1787 and 1797, published in 180 parts. This was the most comprehensive collection of Handel's music prior to the appearance of the Händel-Gesellschaft
Händel-Gesellschaft
Between 1858 and 1902, the Händel-Gesellschaft, or "German Handel Society," produced a collected 105-volume edition of the works of Georg Frideric Handel. Even though the collection was initiated by the society, many of the volumes were published by Friedrich Chrysander working alone...
edition in the next century.