Arne's delightful cantata for soprano flute (or recorder) and strings is a wonderful example of the 18th century English cantata, with Arcadian theme and descriptive music.

Digital Download.

Arne’s Six Cantatas were published by John Walsh in 1755. During this period Arnewas writing stage works for the Covent Garden Theatre whilst maintaining the position of musical director at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. He had contributed a great number of secular songs and cantatas for stage productions and pleasure garden performances, and the present cantata The Morning, is likely to have been performed at Vauxhall during the early 1750s. Much of this repertoire was published in anthologies and compilations such as Vocal Melody, (1749-52) and The Agreeable Musical Choice a pastoral collection of songs sung at the Publick gardens (1753-1758). His 1755 collection of Six Cantatas, therefore, was unique in being his only collection of solely English cantatas published; perhaps an indication that Arne and his public regarded these cantatas most favourably.

Listen to the first movement on YouTube.

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