When 18th century British composer Thomas Arne included his song Rule Britannia! in a masque based on the life of Alfred the Great that was presented at Cliveden the country home of Frederick Prince of Wales he could not have imagined that more than two hundred seventy years later his ditty would be known throughout the British Isles and beyond. Rule Britannia! is widely used in the Royal Navy and British Army and is featured each year at the Last Night of the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall as a national sing-along.At the time of writing the Dutch actually ‘ruled the waves ’ so this song was more an exhortation than a status report. The lyrics were also a statement ofcivil liberty. Since Cromwell’s time Britain had had a standing army which could be turned against the native population. A standing navy however existed solely to protect the nation from invaders protecting a free populace.Rule Britannia! has been quoted extensively by other composers among them Beethoven Wagner Strauss and Arthur Sullivan. Thomas Arne also penned a version of God Save The King which came to be the British national anthem.

Eighteenth century theatrical music and operatic composer Thomas Arne is the creator of Rule Britannia but here is in less patriotic and more dramatic mood. The recitativo and air O Ravishing Delight appear to survive from Arne’s 1742 opera The Judgement of Paris at the moment that Paris is overcome at the sight of the three goddesses and begs Hermes to take him away. The initial bars of the aria express Paris’s emotion in a largo section which then gives way to jolly allegro before returning to the tragic largo briefly and ending allegro.

The latest addition to the Novello Handel Edition. A stage work of 1745 based on John Milton's classical masque Comus created from a compilation of songs by Handel and Thomas Arne both pre-existing and original with the text adapted by John Dalton. This is the first ever complete publication of the work and is edited by Handel scholar Colin Timms. This work is for three or four Sopranos Mezzo-Soprano Tenor one or two Bass Soli and Orchestra. This edition is an 'important new contribution to scholarship with Colin Timms continuing the work of Anthony Hicks in putting together an edition of work from various sources'. There are 'somefine movements to be found by both composers not least the three airs and trio that Handel provided specially for performance in Exton Hall Rutland in 1745'. Choir & Organ  November/December 2017 'Potential performers will appreciatre the excellent editorial preface. The print of this vocal score with piano reduction though small is very clear and well laid-out and orchestral parts including a fully realised continuo part are available from Novello.' Organists’ Review December 2017

Thomas Arne's Blow Blow Thou Winter Wind arranged by Desmond Ratcliffe for unaccompanied SATB choir. This work is a setting of text from As You Like It Act 2 Scene 7 by William Shakespeare.Duration: approx. 2 minutes. A Piano accompaniment is included for rehearsal purposes only.

A Comic Opera. Par BICKERSTAFF ISAAC (Arr. TOMS EDWARD). 'Love in a Village' was first performed on 8 December 1762 at the Covent Garden Theatre (London). It was to become one of the most popular British musical stage works of the century, and by 1791 it had also gained international acclaim. The question of why this pastiche comic opera was able to develop this special attraction can be described in terms of fashion and tradition. By bringing stylistically sophisticated compositions by various well-known composers such as George Frideric Handel, Thomas Augustine Arne und Francesco Geminiani into the traditional 'Ballad Opera', the theatre makers succeeded in renewing traditional ways of producing and performing playhouse entertainment. The music of 'Love in a Village' stems from four sources: Vocal music from the amusement gardens, Italian opera arias from the 1750s and 1760s, theatrical or occasional music and folk melodies. Love in a Village' thus further developed the methods first used by 'Ballad Opera' to create a comic opera from a sentimental plot and pre-existent vocal compositions. The fourth volume in our OPERA series consists of a linen-bound volume and an Edirom file stored on a USB card in credit-card format. The number of simultaneous users of the edition's digital component is unlimited./ Répertoire / Chant et Orchestre

21 popular works for mezzo-soprano or alto voice with piano accompaniment featuring selected works from the major exam board syllabuses spanning Grades 5 to 8 and beyond. Includes a preface and performance notes by CatherineWyn-Rogers and Malcolm Martineau and a digital version of the book to view on any device.

A secular cantata edited by Alastair Mitchell.The purpose of bringing out an edition of nine pieces of the original 28 from The Masque Of Alfred is to provide choirs/orchestras with interesting unusual eighteenth-century music and a work of practical length for concert purposes. The work is an evocation of rural England as it was during Alfred's reign and gives some insight into his character.