Thomas Augustine Arne

This British composer is the author of the patriotic chorus Rule, Britannia! as well as the stately anthem God Save the King, which later became the British national anthem. The popular song, A-Hunting We Will Go, which many people think of as a traditional folk song, also comes from an Arne work.

Arne composed nearly 90 dramatic stage works including operas, masques, and ballet pantomimes though some of these manuscripts are lost due to fire and warfare in later centuries. Arne's surviving keyboard concertos display colorful harmonic progressions and his music though superficially reminiscent of Handel is, within the English Baroque style, appealingly individual and creative. Joseph Haydn, on visiting England, was among composers of later eras who expressed admiration for the music of Thomas Arne.