T. A. Arne as an Inventor of Musical Form. 195 



but Arne had doubtless studied (only to admire) his sterling- 

 music, for, later in life, he, in fact, revived Purcell's finest 

 opera, " King Arthur." Amongst leading contemporary- 

 English musicians must be named Greene and Boyce, both 

 essentially cathedral men, though Boyce composed music 

 for the stage as well. Greene was then in his prime, and 

 had just been elected Professor of Music at Cambridge, but he 

 had written nothing of moment save an Ode on St. Cecilia's 

 Day, which cannot have influenced Arne in any way. Boyce 

 was of the same age as Arne, and at this time had done 

 nothing as a composer. So much, or rather, so little, for our 

 native composers. But the giant Handel was here still, busily 

 engaged in writing and producing Italian operas, and by his 

 forceful presence and genius completely overshadowing all 

 other musicians. That Arne often heard his works is clear, 

 for he habitually borrowed a servant's livery in order to gain 

 admission to the opera house, the liveried servants of the 

 nobility being then entitled to free access to the gallery. 

 Ariosti, vanquished by Handel, had left England five years 

 before, and Buononcini was in disgrace, it having been then 

 lately discovered that a madrigal which he had endeavoured 

 to palm off on the public as his own was in reality the com- 

 position of Lotti. Greene had been made Buononcini's cats- 

 paw in this fraud, and on the latter being expelled from the 

 Academy of Music, Greene and his friend Festing (Arne's 

 violin master) also withdrew, and established rival concerts 

 at the Devil Tavern, near Temple Bar, which made Handel 

 remark that " Toctor Greene had gone to te Tevil." So, 

 practically, all Arne could learn in the way of hearing music 

 was from Handel. To study theory there was little book 

 learning to be got beyond what could be gained from Morley's 

 treatise, published 36 years before. Lampe, who published a 

 theoretical work in 1737, however, influenced Arne, as the 

 former's opera, "Amelia" (produced in 1732), brought before 

 the public Arne's sister and pupil, Susanna (afterwards 



