The National Armada memorial in Plymouth depicting Britannia

Britannia is an ancient term for Great Britain, and also a female personification of the island. The name is Latin, and derives from the Greek form Prettanike or Brettaniai, which originally designated a collection of islands with individual names, including Albion or Great Britain. However, by the 1st century BC Britannia came to be used for Great Britain specifically. In AD 43 the Roman Empire began its conquest of the island, establishing a province they called Britannia, which came to encompass the parts of the island south of Caledonia (roughly Scotland). The native Celtic inhabitants of the province are known as the Britons. In the 2nd century Roman Britannia came to be personified as a goddess, armed with a trident and shield and wearing a centurion's helmet.

The Latin name Britannia long survived the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, and yielded the name for the island in most European and various other languages, including the English Britain and the modern Welsh Prydain. After centuries of declining use, the Latin form was revived during the English Renaissance as a rhetorical evocation of a British national identity. Especially following the Acts of Union in 1707, which joined the Kingdoms of England and Scotland, the personification of the martial Britannia was used as an emblem of British imperial power and unity. She has appeared consistently on British coinage ever since.

Roman period[link]

The first writer to use a form of the name was the Greek explorer and geographer Pytheas in the 4th century BC. Pytheas referred to Prettanike or Brettaniai, a group of islands off the coast of North-Western Europe. In the 1st century BC Diodorus Siculus referred to Pretannia,^[1] a rendering of the indigenous name for the Pretani people whom the Greeks believed to inhabit the British Isles.^[2][3] Following the Greek usage, the Romans referred to the Insulae Britannicae in the plural, consisting of Albion (Great Britain), Hibernia (Ireland), Thule (possibly Iceland) and many smaller islands. Over time, Albion specifically came to be known as Britannia, and the name for the group was subsequently dropped.^[1] That island was first invaded by Julius Caesar in 55 BC, and the Roman conquest of the island began in AD 43, leading to the establishment of the Roman province known as Britannia. The Romans never successfully conquered the whole island, building Hadrian's Wall as a boundary with Caledonia, which covered roughly the territory of modern Scotland. A southern part of what is now Scotland was occupied by the Romans for about 20 years in the mid-2nd century AD, keeping in place the Picts to the north of the Antonine Wall. People living in the Roman province of Britannia were called Britanni, or Britons. Ireland, inhabited by the Scoti, was never invaded and was called Hibernia. Thule, an island "six days' sail north of Britain, and [...] near the frozen sea", possibly Iceland, was also never invaded by the Romans.

An As coin from the reign of Antoninus Pius struck in 154 AD showing Britannia on the reverse

The Emperor Claudius paid a visit while Britain was being conquered and was honoured with the agnomen Britannicus as if he were the conqueror; a frieze discovered at Aphrodisias in 1980 shows a bare breasted and helmeted female warrior labelled BRITANNIA, writhing in agony under the heel of the emperor.^[4] She appeared on coins issued under Hadrian, as a more regal-looking female figure.^[5] Britannia was soon personified as a goddess, looking fairly similar to the goddess Minerva. Early portraits of the goddess depict Britannia as a beautiful young woman, wearing the helmet of a centurion, and wrapped in a white garment with her right breast exposed. She is usually shown seated on a rock, holding a spear, and with a spiked shield propped beside her. Sometimes she holds a standard and leans on the shield. On another range of coinage, she is seated on a globe above waves: Britain at the edge of the (known) world. Similar coin types were also issued under Antoninus Pius.

British revival[link]

Britannia from a 19th-century engraving, unknown source

In James Gillray's Britannia between Scylla and Charybdis (1793), Britannia is shown without the weapons which would invariably characterise her in the 19th century

Medieval use[link]

Britannia remained the Latin name for Great Britain. After the fall of the Roman Empire, variations on the term appear in the titles of the 9th-century Historia Britonum and the 12th-century Historia Regum Britanniae, which became tremendously popular during the High Middle Ages. At this time the term Britannia also came to be used for the Armorican peninsula in France, because of the large scale migration to the area by Britons. The modern French name for the area, "Bretagne", or Brittany in English, is a variant of "Britannia". The term "Grande Bretagne" (Greater Britannia, or Great Britain) was used to distinguish the island of Britain from the continental peninsula.

British Empire[link]

In the Medieval period it had still been common to refer only to the Brythonic Celtic inhabitants of Britain as the "Britons", as opposed to the "English". However, increasingly the English were included within the category of the Britons. This gained new symbolic meaning with the rise of British influence, and later the British Empire, which at its height ruled over a third of the world's population and landmass.

In the Renaissance tradition, Britannia came to be viewed as the personification of Britain, in imagery that was developed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. With the death of Elizabeth in 1603 came the succession of her Scottish cousin, James VI of Scotland, to the English throne. He became James I of England, and so brought under his personal rule the Kingdoms of England (and the dominion of Wales), Ireland and Scotland. On 20 October 1604 King James proclaimed himself as "King of Great Brittaine, France and Ireland", a title that continued to be used by many of his successors.^[6] When James I came to the throne, some elaborate pageants were staged. One pageant performed on the streets of London in 1605 was described in Anthony Munday's Triumphs of Reunited Britannia:

On a mount triangular, as the island of Britain itself is described to be, we seat in the supreme place, under the shape of a fair and beautiful nymph, Britannia herself...

During the reign of King Charles II, Britannia made her first appearance on English coins on a farthing of 1672 (see Depiction on British coinage and postage stamps below). With the constitutional unification of England with Scotland in 1707 and then with Ireland in 1800, Britannia became an increasingly important symbol and a strong rallying point among Britons.

A later Gillray cartoon, on the 1803 Peace of Amiens, features a fat and non-martial Britannia kissing "Citizen François"

Britannia Triumphant, poster celebrating the Battle of Trafalgar.

British power, which depended on a liberal political system and the supremacy of the navy, lent these attributes to the image of Britannia. By the time of Queen Victoria, Britannia had been renewed. Still depicted as a young woman with brown or golden hair, she kept her Corinthian helmet and her white robes, but now she held Poseidon's three-pronged trident and often sat or stood before the ocean and tall-masted ships representing British naval power. She also usually held or stood beside a Greek hoplite shield, which sported the British Union Flag: also at her feet was often the British Lion, an animal found on the arms of England, Scotland and the Prince of Wales.

King Neptune is shown symbolically passing his trident to Britannia in the 1847 fresco "Neptune Resigning to Britannia the Empire of the Sea" by William Dyce, a painting Victoria commissioned for her Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.

New Zealanders adopted a similar personification of their country in Zealandia, Britannia's daughter, who appeared on postage stamps at the turn of the 20th century^[7] and still features in the New Zealand Coat of Arms.^[8]

1914 Russian poster depicting the Triple Entente – Britannia (right) and Marianne (left) in the company of Mother Russia. In this depiction, Britannia's association with the sea is provided by her holding an anchor, an attribute usually represented by Poseidon's Trident.

Perhaps the best analogy is that Britannia is to the United Kingdom and the British Empire what Marianne is to France or perhaps what Columbia is to the United States. Like Columbia, Britannia became a very potent and more common figure in times of war, and represented British liberties and democracy.

Modern associations[link]

During the 1990s the term Cool Britannia (drawn from a humorous version by the Bonzo Dog Band of the song "Rule Britannia",^{[citation needed]} with words by James Thomson [1700–1748], which is often used as an unofficial national anthem), was used to describe the contemporary United Kingdom. The phrase referred to the fashionable scenes of the era, with a new generation of pop groups and style magazines, successful young fashion designers, and a surge of new restaurants and hotels. Cool Britannia represented late-1990s Britain as a fashionable place to be.

Depiction on British coinage and postage stamps[link]

Although the archetypical image of Britannia seated on a shield first appeared on Roman bronze coins of the 1st century AD struck under Hadrian, Britannia's first appearance on British coinage was on the farthing in 1672, though earlier pattern versions had appeared in 1665, followed by the halfpenny later the same year. The figure of Britannia was said by Samuel Pepys to have been modelled on Frances Teresa Stuart, the future Duchess of Richmond,^[5] who was famous at the time for refusing to become the mistress of Charles II, despite the King's strong infatuation with her. Britannia then appeared on the British halfpenny coin throughout the rest of the 17th century and thereafter until 1936. The halfpennies issued during the reign of Queen Anne have Britannia closely resembling the queen herself.^[9] When the Bank of England was granted a charter in 1694, the directors decided within days that the device for their official seal should represent 'Brittannia sitting on looking on a Bank of Mony' (sic). Britannia also appeared on the penny coin between 1797 and 1970, occasional issues such as the fourpence under William IV between 1836 and 1837, and on the 50 pence coin between 1969 and 2008.^[10] See "External Links" below for examples of all these coins and others.

A stamp featuring Britannia (with Irish Free State overstamp)

In the spring of 2008, the Royal Mint unveiled new coin designs "reflecting a more modern twenty-first century Britain"^[11] which nowhere featured the image of Britannia. This decision courted some controversy, with tabloid press campaigns, in particular that of the Daily Mail, launched to "save Britannia". The government has pointed out, however, that earlier-design 50p coins will remain in circulation for the foreseeable future.^[12]

Britannia also featured on the high value Great Britain definitive postage stamps issued during the reign of George V (known as 'seahorses') and is depicted on the £10 stamp first issued in 1993.

Britannia watermark in paper[link]

The Britannia watermark has been widely used in papermaking, usually showing her seated. An example can be found at papermoulds.typepad.com

Namesakes[link]

The name "Britannia", symbolising Britain and British patriotism, has been adopted for various purposes such as:

• Britannia silver, a high-grade alloy of silver introduced in Britain in 1697.
• Britannia coins, a series of British gold bullion coins issued since 1987, which have nominal values of 100, 50, 25, and 10 pounds.
• HMS Britannia, any of eight vessels of the Royal Navy.
• Britannia Royal Naval College, the Royal Navy's officer training college.
• Pugnaces Britanniae, war dog of Britain.
• The former Royal Yacht Britannia, the Royal Family's personal yacht, recently retired in Leith, Edinburgh Scotland.
• The patriotic song "Rule, Britannia!", set to music in 1740.
• Company names such as Britannia Building Society and Britannia Airways.
• The Britannia Class, an alternative name for the BR Standard Class 7 series of steam locomotives produced between 1951 and 1954, the first of the BR "standard" classes. Preserved Class 7 locomotive No. 70000, built in 1951, was also named Britannia.

See also[link]

• Columbia (name), the female personification of the United States
• Italia Turrita, the equivalent personification for Italy
• Hibernia (personification) is the younger sister of Britannia
• Marianne, a personification of France
• William Camden, author of Britannia, author of topographical and historical survey of all of Great Britain and Ireland, first published in 1586.

References[link]

Notes[link]

• Allen, Stephen (2007). Lords of Battle: The World of the Celtic Warrior. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-948-7. http://books.google.com/books?id=28C63w4vKD8C. 
• Collingwood, Robin George (1998). Roman Britain and the English Settlements. Biblo & Tannen Publishers. ISBN 0-8196-1160-3. http://books.google.com/books?id=fMcbnMFn8lcC. 
• Davies, Norman (2000). The Isles a History. Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-69283-7. 
• Hewitt, Virginia. "Britannia (fl. 1st–21st cent.)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, online edition 2007, accessed 28 Aug 2011
• Snyder, Christopher (2003). The Britons. Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 0-631-22260-X. http://books.google.com/books?id=QI_-cR_nZYsC. 
• M. Dresser (ed.), 'Britannia', Patriotism: the making and unmaking of British national identity, vol. 3
• R. Samuel, National fictions (1989), pp. 26–49
• Britannia depicta: quality, value and security, National Postal Museum (1993)
• H. Mattingly, Nerva to Hadrian, reprint (1976), vol. 3 of Coins of the Roman empire in the British Museum
• J. M. C. Toynbee, The Hadrianic school: a chapter in the history of Greek art (1974)
• M. Henig, 'Britannia', Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae, 3/1 (1983), pp. 167–69
• K. T. Erim, 'A new relief showing Claudius and Britannia from Aphrodisias', Britannia, 13 (1982), pp. 277–81
• H. Peacham, Minerva Britannia, or, A garden of heroical devises (1612)
• J. Thomson, Britannia: a poem (1729)
• R. Strong, Gloriana, the portraits of Queen Elizabeth I (1987)
• H. A. Atherton, Political prints in the age of Hogarth. A study of the ideographic representation of politics (1974)

External links[link]

Media related to Britannia at Wikimedia Commons

• Britannia on British coins and medals - Guy de la Bédoyère
• Britannia Penny
• David Dimbleby. "Age of Conquest". Seven Ages of Britain. 6:56 minutes in. BBC 1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qn322. Retrieved 21 Nov 201. 

v t e Celtic mythology series Ancient deities of Gaul, Britain and Gallaecia by region Supra-regional Alaunus Alisanos Andarta Anextiomarus Artio Aveta Belenus Belisama Borvo Brigantia Camulus Cernunnos Cicolluis Cissonius Condatis Damona Matrona Dis Pater Epona Erecura Esus Genii Cucullati Grannus Ialonus Contrebis Lenus Litavis Loucetios Lugus Maponos Matres Mogons Nantosuelta Ogmios Rosmerta Segomo Sirona Sucellus Suleviae Taranis Toutatis Virotutis Visucius Britannia Abandinus Alaisiagae Ancasta Andraste Belatu-Cadros Britannia Cocidius Coventina Iouga Latis Nodens Ricagambeda Satiada Senua Sulis Verbeia Veteris Gallia Aquitania Abellio Fagus Gallia Belgica Abnoba Ancamna Arduinna Arvernus Icovellauna Inciona Intarabus Iovantucarus Ritona Veraudunus Vindonnus Vosegus Xulsigiae Gallia Celtica Anvallus Atepomarus Bricta Icaunis Luxovius Nemetona Moritasgus Mullo Naria Robor Sequana Souconna Smertrios Telo Gallia Cisalpina Ambisagrus Gallia Narbonensis Artaius Buxenus Catubodua Lero et Lerina Nemausus Rudianos Germania Inferior Aufaniae Gebrinius Nehalennia Gallaecia Bandua Endovelicus Nabia Reue

Della Jones (13 April 1946), is a Welsh mezzo-soprano, particularly well known for her interpretations of works by Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, and Britten.

Life and career[link]

Della Jones was born in Tonna, near Neath, Wales. She studied at the Royal College of Music, where she won the Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Scholarship, and later in Geneva, where she made her professional debut in 1970, as Feodor and Olga.

She joined the English National Opera in 1977 where she created the role of Dolly in Iain Hamilton's Anna Karenina in 1981,^[1] and the Royal Opera House in 1983, and began appearing abroad notably in France, Italy, and the United States.

Her repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary works, with a specialty in the bel canto operas, notably of Rossini. In the mid 1970s. she began a long association with Opera Rara, appearing in many long forgotten bel canto works, both on stage and on recording. She can be heard in complete recordings of Donizetti's Ugo, conte di Parigi, L'assedio di Calais, Maria Padilla, Meyerbeer's Il crociato in Egitto and Rossini's Ricciardo e Zoraide and made a solo album with the title Della Jones sings Donizetti, in all of which one can appreciate her impeccable coloratura technique and strong feeling for words and music.

For Chandos records she also made albums such as Great Operatic Arias - Della Jones.

Della Jones is still at home in the international opera and concert world today. She currently lives in South-East England.

References[link]

• Le guide de l'opéra, les indispensables de la musique, R. Mancini & J-J. Rouveroux, (Fayard, 1995), ISBN 2-213-59567-4

This article incorporates information from the revision as of 25 May 2006 of the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia.

Joyce DiDonato (born February 13, 1969) is an award-winning American operatic mezzo-soprano particularly admired for her interpretations of the works of Handel, Mozart, and Rossini. DiDonato has performed with many of the world's leading opera companies and orchestras. In 2012 she won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Solo.

Early life and education[link]

Joyce DiDonato was born Joyce Flaherty in Prairie Village, Kansas in 1969, the sixth of seven children in a close-knit Irish-American family. She sang in choir and musicals in high school and dreamed of becoming a Broadway star or pop singer.^[1] DiDonato entered Wichita State University (WSU) in the autumn of 1988 where she studied vocal music education. She was initially more interested in teaching high school vocal music and musical theatre and did not become interested in opera until her junior year, when she was cast in a school production of Die Fledermaus.^[2] After graduating from WSU in the spring of 1992, DiDonato decided to pursue graduate studies in vocal performance at the Academy of Vocal Arts.^[3] Following her studies in Philadelphia, she was accepted in Santa Fe Opera's young artist program in 1995. While there she appeared in several minor roles and understudied for larger parts in such operas as Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Richard Strauss' Salome, Kálmán's Gräfin Mariza and the 1994 world premiere of David Lang's Modern Painters. DiDonato was honored as the Outstanding Apprentice Artist by the Santa Fe Opera that year. In 1996 she became a part of Houston Grand Opera's young artist program where she sang from the autumn of 1996 to the spring of 1998. During the summer of 1997, DiDonato participated in San Francisco Opera's Merola Program.^[4]

During her apprentice years, DiDonato competed in several notable vocal competitions. In 1996 she won second prize in the Eleanor McCollum Competition and was a district winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. In 1997 she won a William Matheus Sullivan Award. In 1998 she won second prize in the Operalia Competition, first place in the Stewart Awards, won the George London Competition, and a received a Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation.^[5]

Career[link]

DiDonato began her professional career in the 1998/1999 season singing with several regional opera companies in the United States. She most notably appeared as the main heroine, Maslova, in the world premiere of Tod Machover's Resurrection with the Houston Grand Opera.^[6] She gave a recital in San Francisco that year as part of the Schwabacher recital series.

In the 1999/2000 season, DiDonato performed the role of Meg in the world premiere of Mark Adamo's Little Women at Houston Grand Opera with Stephanie Novacek as Jo and Chad Shelton as Laurie. She performed the role of Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro with Santa Fe Opera and the role of Isabella in Rossini's L'italiana in Algeri with the New Israeli Opera. In addition, DiDonato gave a recital at New York's Morgan Library under the auspices of the George London Foundation and sang the mezzo-soprano solos in the Seattle Symphony's production of Handel's Messiah.^[7]

In the 2000/2001 season, DiDonato made her debut at La Scala as Angelina in Rossini's La Cenerentola, returned to Houston Grand Opera as Dorabella in Mozart's Così fan tutte, and sang the mezzo-soprano solos in Bach's Mass in B minor with the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris and conductor John Nelson.^[7] In 2000, DiDonato received the ARIA (Awards Recognizing Individual Artistry) award, which annually recognized American "vocal artists of exceptional ability and undeniable promise".^[5]

In the 2001/2002 season DiDonato made her debut with Washington National Opera as Dorabella in Mozart's Così fan tutte, her debut with De Nederlandse Opera as Sesto in Handel's Giulio Cesare, her debut with Opéra National de Paris as Rosina in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia, her debut with Bavarian State Opera as Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro under the baton of Zubin Mehta, and returned to Santa Fe Opera to perform the role of Annio in Mozart's La clemenza di Tito. She made several concert appearances including performances of Vivaldi's Gloria with Riccardo Muti and the La Scala Orchestra and Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream with Ensemble Orchestral de Paris. In 2002, DiDonato was given the Richard Tucker Award.^[5]

In the 2002/2003 season, DiDonato made her debut with the New York City Opera as Sister Helen in Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking, her debut with Théâtre du Châtelet in the title role of Rossini's La cenerentola, her debut at Covent Garden as Zlatohrbitek the fox in Janáček's The Cunning Little Vixen under the baton of Sir John Eliot Gardiner, and her debut with the New National Theatre Tokyo as Rosina in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia. She performed the title role in Rossini's Adina at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro and the role of Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro with Opéra Bastille. In concert, DiDonato performed Mozart's Requiem with the Seattle Symphony, Berlioz's Les nuits d'été with the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, and made her Carnegie Hall debut in a production of Bach's Mass in B Minor with the Orchestra of St. Luke's under the baton of Peter Schreier. She toured Europe with Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre in performances of Les nuits d'été.^[8] In 2003 DiDonato was the recipient of New York City Opera's Richard Gold Debut Award

In the 2003/2004 season, DiDonato made her debut with the San Francisco Opera as Rosina in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia and reprised the role with Houston Grand Opera. She performed Idamante in Mozart's Idomeneo with De Nederlandse Opera and at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. She sang the role of Ascanio in a concert performance of Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini with the Orchestre National de France and appeared in solo recitals at the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Kansas City's Folly Theater, and Wigmore Hall among others. She sang at the Hollywood Bowl in a production of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.^[8]

In the 2004/2005 season, DiDonato made her debut with the Grand Théâtre de Genève as Elisabetta in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda. She returned to La Scala in the role of Angelina in Rossini's La Cenerentola and once again played Rosina in a new production of Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia by Luca Ronconi at the Pesaro Festival and the Teatro Comunale di Bologna.^[7]

In the 2005/2006 season, DiDonato made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro and played Stéphano in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette at the Met. She returned to the Royal Opera House as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, sang her first Sesto in Mozart's La clemenza di Tito with Grand Théâtre de Genève, and sang the role of Dejanira in Handel's Hercules at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York and at the Barbican Centre in London with William Christie (musician). In addition, DiDonato appeared in several concerts with the New York Philharmonic and gave a recital at Wigmore Hall in London. She closed the Santa Fe Opera's 50th anniversary season in the title role of Massenet's Cendrillon.^[7] In 2006, DiDonato was given the Royal Philharmonic Society Singer Award.

In the 2006/2007 season, DiDonato debuted at the Teatro Real as the Composer in Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos, returned to the Opéra National de Paris as Idamante in Mozart's Idomeneo, and returned to Houston Grand Opera as Angelina in La Cenerentola. She sang Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Metropolitan Opera and sang her first Octavian in Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier with the San Francisco Opera. She toured the U.S. and Europe on an extensive recital tour with accompianist Julius Drake.^[9] DiDonato won the Metropolitan Opera's Beverly Sills Award in 2007.^[10]

In the 2007/2008 season, DiDonato debuted at the Liceu as Angelina in La Cenerentola and at the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia. She sang the title role in Handel's Alcina with Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco and the title role in Handel's Ariodante at the Grand Théâtre de Genève. She sang Roméo in Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi with Opéra Bastille and returned to Madrid's Teatro Real as Idamante in Idomeneo in July 2008. DiDonato also gave recitals at La Scala, Lincoln Center, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and performed a special concert of Handel arias which was recorded in Brussels.^[9][11]

In the 2008/2009 season, DiDonato returned to Covent Garden as Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni and as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia. In a performance of that opera on July 7, DiDonato slipped onstage and broke her right fibula; she finished the first act hobbling and the rest of the performance on crutches. She then performed the five remaining scheduled performances from a wheelchair.^[12] She will be performing the roles of Beatrice in Berlioz's Béatrice et Bénédict with Houston Grand Opera, Idamante in Mozart's Idomeneo with Opéra National de Paris, and Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia in her debut with Vienna State Opera. DiDonato also appeared in concerts with the New York Philharmonic, Kansas City Symphony, and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the latter of which under the baton of James Levine. She also toured Europe and the United States with Les Talens Lyriques giving concerts of Handel arias; including performances at Wigmore Hall and the Rossini Opera Festival.^[13]

In October 2010, DiDonato won the Klassik Echo Award as Singer of the Year.^[14]

DiDonato sang the role of Isolier in Rossini's Le comte Ory with the Metropolitan Opera in April 2011.

At the 54th Grammy Awards on February 12th, 2012, the Grammy for Best Classical Vocal Solo was awarded to DiDonato for her solo recording Diva Divo.^[15]

In 2012, DiDonato was voted into Gramophone Magazine's Hall of Fame.^[16]

In April 2012, DiDonato sang the role of Mary Stuart in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda with the Houston Grand Opera.^[17]

Personal life[link]

DiDonato is married to Italian conductor Leonardo Vordoni with whom she lives in Kansas City, Missouri. She was married once previously and continues to use her first husband's surname professionally.^[3]

Opera roles[link]

@ Indicates a world premiere

Discography[link]

Complete opera recordings[link]

• Alcina in Handel's Alcina with conductor Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco, released 2009, Archiv label.
• Angelina (Cenerentola) in Rossini's La Cenerentola with conductor Alberto Zedda and SWR Orchestra Kaiserslautern, released 2005, Naxos label.
• Ariodante in Handel's Ariodante with conductor Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco, released 2011, Virgin Classics label.
• Ascanio in Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini with conductor John Nelson and Orchestre National de France, released 2005, Virgin Classics label.
• Elmira in Handel's Floridante with conductor Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco, released 2007, Archiv Produktion label.
• Grace Kelly in Michael Daugherty's Jackie O with conductor Christopher Larkin and Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, released 1997, Argo label.
• Maslova in Tod Machover's Resurrection with conductor Patrick Summers and Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, released 1999, Albany Records.
• Meg March in Mark Adamo's Little Women with conductor Katherine Ciesinski and Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, released 2001, Ondine label.
• Radamisto in Handel's Radamisto with conductor Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco, released 2005, Virgin Classics label.

Concert recordings[link]

• Antonio Vivaldi: The Complete Sacred Music with conductor Robert King and The King's Consort, released 2005, Hyperion label.
• Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Nights Dream with conductor John Nelson and the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, released 2003, EMI Classics label.
• Mozart: The Last Concerto 1791 with conductor Frans Brüggen and the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, released 2002, Glossa label.

Solo recordings[link]

• Diva, Divo, with the Orchestre et Choeur de l’Opéra National de Lyon under Kazushi Ono, released 2011
• Rossini: Colbran, the Muse, conductor Edoardo Muller and Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, released 2009, Virgin Classics label.
• Furore – Mad Scenes from Operas, conductor Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques, released 2008, Virgin Classics label.
• Amor e gelosia: Handel Operatic Duets with Patrizia Ciofi, conductor Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco, released 2004, Virgin Classics label.
• The Deepest Desire, accompanied by David Zobel, released 2006, Eloquentia label.
• Joyce DiDonato: Songs by Fauré, Hahn and Head · Arias by Rossini and Handel, live recording at Wigmore Hall, accompanied by Julius Drake, released 2006, Wigmore Hall Live label.
• ¡Pasión!, accompanied by Julius Drake, released 2007, Eloquentia label.

Other recordings[link]

• William Barnewitz: Long Road Home, DiDonato appears as a guest artist, released 2007, Avie label.
• Plácido Domingo's Operalia '98: A Tribute to Passion and Soul, released 1998, Montblanc label.

Film and television appearances[link]

• Meg March in Mark Adamo's Little Women with conductor Katherine Ciesinski and Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, aired on PBS' Great Performances in 2001.
• Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville with conductor Bruno Campanella and Opéra National de Paris, aired on television in 2002, released on DVD 2002.
• "Gala Jean-Philippe Rameau" – Concert du 20ème anniversaire des Musiciens du Louvre, aired on television in 2003.
• Dejanira in Handel's Hercules with conductor William Christie, Les Arts Florissants, and Aix-en-Provence Festival, aired on television in 2005, released on DVD 2005.^[18]
• Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville with conductor Antonio Pappano at the Royal Opera House, released on DVD in 2010
• Angelina in Rossini's La Cenerentola with conductor Patrick Summers at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, released on DVD in 2010

References[link]

External links[link]

• Joyce DiDonato Official Website
• An interview with Joyce DiDonato, June 2012
• An interview with Joyce DiDonato, September 2008
• Yankee Diva Joyce DiDonato's blog
• Joyce DiDonato's Management at IMG Artists
• Joyce DiDonato – Virgin Classics Official Website
• Joyce DiDonato – EMI Classics UK for Concert Dates and Releases in the UK
• Joyce DiDonato – EMI Classics Germany

Thomas Arne painted by Johann Zoffany

Thomas Augustine Arne (12 March 1710, London – 5 March 1778, London) was a British composer, best known for the patriotic song Rule, Britannia!. He also wrote a version of God Save the King, which was to become the British national anthem, and the song A-Hunting We Will Go. Arne was the leading British theatre composer of the eighteenth century working at Drury Lane and Covent Garden.

Early life[link]

Arne's father and grandfather were both upholsterers and both became officials of the City Company of Upholsterers. His grandfather fell upon hard times and died in the Marshalsea Prison for debtors. Arne's father earned enough money not only to rent a large house in Covent Garden but also to have Arne educated at Eton College. But later in life, he also managed to lose most of his wealth and had to earn extra cash by acting as a numberer of the boxes at Drury Lane Theatre.

Arne was so keen on music that he smuggled a spinet into his room and, damping the sounds with his handkerchief, would secretly practise during the night while the rest of the family slept. He also dressed up as a liveryman in order to gain access to the gallery of the Italian Opera. It was at the opera that Arne first met the musician and composer Michael Festing, who was a major influence on him. Festing not only taught him to play the violin, but also took him to various musical events, including going to hear Thomas Roseingrave compete for the post of organist at Hanover Square, and a visit to Oxford in 1733 to hear George Frideric Handel's oratorio Athalia.

Upon leaving school, Arne was articled to a solicitor for three years. However, Arne's father discovered his son leading a group of musicians at what was probably one of Festing's musical gatherings. Following this disclosure of his son's real interest and talent, he was persuaded (again probably by Festing) to allow the young Arne to give up his legal career and to pursue music as a living.

He was baptised in the Roman Catholic faith, his mother's religion.^[1]

Musical career[link]

Thomas Augustine Arne

Arne's sister, Susannah Maria Arne, was a famous contralto, who performed in some of his works, including his first opera, Rosamund. (She would later become known professionally as "Mrs Cibber".) They and their brother Richard would often perform Arne's works together. Between 1733 and 1776, Arne wrote music for about 90 stage works, including plays, masques, pantomimes, and opera. Many of his dramatic scores are now lost, probably in the disastrous fire at Covent Garden in 1808.^[2]

Arne was a Freemason^[3] and active in the organisation, which has long been centred around the Covent Garden area of London, of which Arne was a native.

Arne's Catholicism meant that he never composed music for the Church of England, unlike most other great English composers of his time.^[1]

On 15 March 1737 [1], Arne married singer Cecilia Young, whose sister, Isabella was the wife of John Frederick Lampe. Arne's operas and masques became very popular, and he received the patronage of Frederick, Prince of Wales, at whose country home, Cliveden, the Masque of Alfred, featuring "Rule Britannia", was debuted.

In 1741, Arne filed a complaint in Chancery pertaining to a breach of musical copyright and claimed that some of his theatrical songs had been printed and sold by Henry Roberts and John Johnson, the London booksellers and music distributors. The matter was settled out of court. Arne was certainly one of the very first composers to have appealed to the law over copyright issues.^[4]

In 1750, after an argument with David Garrick, Susannah left Drury Lane for Covent Garden Theatre, and Thomas followed. In 1755 during a period spent in Dublin, he separated from Cecilia, who, he alleged, was mentally ill. He began a relationship with one of his pupils, Charlotte Brent, a soprano and former child prodigy. Brent performed in several of Arne's works, including the role of Sally in his 1760 opera Thomas and Sally and Mandane in his 1762 opera Artaxerxes. Eventually Brent and Arne went their separate ways and she married a violinist Thomas Pinto in 1766.

During the 1760s Arne frequently collaborated with the Irish writer Isaac Bickerstaff. Thomas and Sally was the first English comic opera to be sung throughout (it contained no dialogue).^[2] Artaxerxes was one of the most successful and influential English operas of the eighteenth century and is the only known attempt to write an Italianate, Metastasian opera seria, in the English language.^[5] It was frequently performed in London into the 1830s.^[6] On 1791 visit to London Joseph Haydn was impressed by a performance of Artaxerxes he attended and admitted that he had no idea such an opera existed in the English-language.^[7]

In 1769 Arne composed the song Soft Flowing Avon, with lyrics by David Garrick, for the Shakespeare Jubilee held by Garrick in Stratford-upon-Avon to commemorate the life of William Shakespeare.

In 1777, shortly before his death, Arne and his wife were reconciled. They had one son, Michael Arne who was also a composer. Arne is buried at St Paul's, Covent Garden, London.

See also[link]

• List of compositions by Thomas Arne

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• McVeigh, Simon. Concert Life in London from Mozart to Haydn. Cambridge University Press, 1993 (2006 reprint).

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Thomas Augustine Arne

• Family History Page by a descendant of Arne
• Thomas Augustine Arne on the Classical Composers Database
• Works by Thomas Arne in the University of North Texas Virtual Rare Book Room
• Profile page for Thomas Arne on the Find A Grave web site

Sheet music[link]

• Free scores by Thomas Augustine Arne in the Werner Icking Music Archive (WIMA)
• Free scores by Thomas Arne at the International Music Score Library Project
• The Mutopia Project has compositions by Thomas Arne
• Free scores by Thomas Arne in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)