Comus (Arne)

Comus (Arne)
Thomas Arne
v · d · e

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.[1]

Contents

History

Comus was Arne’s first major success, and the masque enjoyed regular revivals throughout his lifetime. The work bosts some of his finest music with songs like "Now Phoebus sinketh in the West" and "Would you taste the noontide air" displaying a fresh lyrical style. The work was published in 1740 but without the recitatives and choruses. The original score containing the additional music is now a lost, but a copy of that score, made around 1785, does exist with all of the original music and some additional pieces taken from Handel’s L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato that supplement Arne’s limited chorus writing.[1]

Roles

Role[2] Voice type Premiere Cast, 4 March 1738
(Conductor: - Thomas Arne)
A Lady non-singing role Susanna Maria Cibber
Comus, a Magician non-singing role James Quin
Euphrosyne, a Grace soprano Catherine "Kitty" Clive
Sabrina, a Nymph soprano Cecilia Arne (born Cecilia Young)
First brother of the lady non-singing role William Milward
Second brother of the lady non-singing role Theophilus Cibber
Assorted spirits, revelers in Comus's pleasure crew, etc. various voice types John Beard, Cecilia Arne, Kitty Clive

Synopsis

A lady is lost in the forrest where the magician Comus dwels; masquerading as a shepherd he entices her to his palace. A spirit warns the lady’s two brothers that their sister is in Comus’s control. They are waylayed by Comus’s stooges. The spirit supplies the brothers with an enchanted potion to help them thwart Comus’s spell over the lady. A banquet is organized in Comus’s palace and the lady, succumbed to the power of the spell, is diverted by the songs and dances of the festivities. Comus forcefully encourages her to drink from his cup but the brothers dash in just in time, putting Comus to flight. The nymph Sabrina frees the lady from the magician's spell and all rejoice the triumph of virtue in the masque's final chorus.[1]

Sources

  1. ^ a b c John A. Parkinson: "Comus (ii)", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed February 16, 2009), (subscription access)
  2. ^ Julian Herbage, preface to Comus (London: Stainer and Bell, 1951). See also original libretto: Comus, a Mask: (Now adapted to the Stage) as alter’d from Milton’s Mask at Ludlow-Castle (London: J. Hughs, 1738), A2.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Comus — For other uses, see Comus (disambiguation). The Reign of Comus by Lorenzo Costa. In Greek mythology, Comus or Komos (Ancient Greek: Κῶμος) is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances. He is a son and a cup bearer of the god Bacchus.… …   Wikipedia

  • Comus (disambiguation) — In Greek mythology, Comus or Komus is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances (the so called Komastic rituals). Comus or Komus may also refer to: Contents 1 People 2 Locations …   Wikipedia

  • Comus (John Milton) — Comus (A Mask Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634) is a masque in honour of chastity, written by John Milton. It was first presented on Michaelmas, 1634, before John Egerton, 1st Earl of Bridgewater at Ludlow Castle in celebration of the Earl s new… …   Wikipedia

  • Comus (Begriffsklärung) — Comus steht für: Comus, eine französische Gemeinde Comus (Band), eine britische Psychedelic Folk Band Comus (John Milton), ein Maskenspiel von John Milton, das später von Thomas Arne vertont wurde Komos (Mythologie) (lateinisch Comus), eine… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Arne [3] — Arne (spr. Ärn), Thomas Augustin, geb. 1710 zu London, englischer Componist u. Reformator des englischen Geschmacks in der Opernmusik, war Componist am Drurylanetheater in London u. st. 1778. Er componirte, außer einer Menge Balladen, Lieder,… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Arne, Thomas — ▪ British composer in full  Thomas Augustine Arne  born March 12, 1710, London died March 5, 1778, London       English composer, chiefly of dramatic music and song.       According to tradition, Arne was the son of an upholsterer in King Street …   Universalium

  • Arne, Thomas Augustine — born March 12, 1710, London, Eng. died March 5, 1778, London British composer. Son of a London upholsterer, he secretly taught himself instrumental skills and composition with the help of an opera musician. Smitten by the opera, he had an early… …   Universalium

  • Thomas Augustin Arne — Thomas Arne Thomas Augustine Arne (* 28. Mai 1710 in London; † 5. März 1778 ebendort) war einer der bedeutendsten Komponisten Englands. Er war ursprünglich zum Juristen bestimmt, studierte nebenbei Violinspiel bei Michael Christian Festing und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Thomas Augustine Arne — Thomas Arne Thomas Augustine Arne (* 28. Mai 1710 in London; † 5. März 1778 ebendort) war einer der bedeutendsten Komponisten Englands. Er war ursprünglich zum Juristen bestimmt, studierte nebenbei Violinspiel bei Michael Christian Festing und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Thomas Arne — Thomas Augustine Arne (* 28. Mai 1710 in London; † 5. März 1778 in London) war einer der bedeutendsten Komponisten Englands. Er war ursprünglich zum Juristen bestimmt, studierte nebenbei Violinspiel bei Michael Christ …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”