Thomas Augustine Arne

Thomas Augustine Arne was an English composer, violinist, teacher, and theatrical musician born in Covent Garden, London, in 1710. Educated at Eton and initially intended for the law, he pursued music instead, studying violin with Michael Christian Festing and establishing himself in London's theatrical and concert life. His Roman Catholic faith restricted access to some court and Anglican church appointments, so much of his career developed in the theatre, pleasure gardens, opera, and concert world. Oxford University awarded him the degree of Doctor of Music in 1759.

Arne composed the masque Alfred, containing Rule, Britannia!, and the English opera Artaxerxes, first performed at Covent Garden in 1762. Musical material from Artaxerxes later became the basis of the Common Meter hymn tune known as ARLINGTON. Arne did not compose that hymn tune for Isaac Watts's text, which had already been published decades earlier.

Ralph Harrison adapted Arne's musical material into congregational form and included ARLINGTON in Sacred Harmony in 1784. For this record Arne is therefore the source composer, while Harrison's historically important role is that of arranger rather than co-composer.