Bonhams 1793 : ARNE (THOMAS) The Music in the Masque of Comus. Written by Milton. As it Was Perform'd at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane... Opera Prima, FIRST EDITION OF THE PRINTED SCOERE, SIGNED ON THTE TITLE-PAGE ("T: A: Arne") of the first edition of the printed score of The Musick in the Masque of Comus, [1740]

The Music in the Masque of Comus. Written by Milton. As it Was Perform'd at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane... Opera Prima, FIRST EDITION OF THE PRINTED SCORE, SIGNED ON THE TITLE-PAGE ("T: A: Arne"), title-page plus 47 pages of engraved music, portrait of Arne after Bartolozzi published by Richard Bentley, 1838, mounted on front pastedown, later half calf over marbled boards, worn, internally clean except for some light browning, folio, Printed by William Smith, at Corelli's Head... and sold by the Author, at his Lodgings, [1740]

Sold for £812 inc. premium

Footnotes

ARNE'S SETTING OF MILTON'S COMUS: this, one of Arne's best-known works, featured his sister Susannah Cibber and Cecilia Young, whom he had married a year before: 'His sister and new wife were both great assets to Arne, as tragedienne and singer respectively, and were used to great effect in his setting of Comus (John Milton's masque as adapted by John Dalton), which ran at Drury Lane from 4 March 1738. This work remained in the repertory into the following century. The combination of talent from the Arne and Cibber families, a resurgence of interest in Milton, and the simple melodic charm of Arne's score ensured its great success. Arne's music was imitated by Handel in his L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, an oratorio that like Comus was adapted from Milton' (David J. Golby, ODNB). His setting of 'Sweet Echo' for his new wife was to prove perennially popular.

Category: Books / Books, Maps and Manuscripts

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