Egerton MS 3664

'ARSINOE', opera in three acts by Thomas Clayton, with instrumental symphonies and accompaniments, including trumpet parts in the Epithalamium and final chorus (cf. ff. 87, 104); circ. 1705. Score. The text is an English version, by Peter Anthony Motteux, of Tomaso Stanzani's Italian libretto set by Petronio Franceschini and performed at Bologna, 1676. The English version was first produced at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, 16 Jan. 1705, and is historically important in the development of Italian opera in England (see A. Nicoll, 'Italian opera in England. . .', Anglia, xlvi, 1922, pp. 259-262; R. N. Cunningham, Peter Anthony Motteux, 1933, pp. 156-158, 203; A. Loewenberg, Annals of Opera, Geneva, 1955, i, col. 112-113). The airs, but not the recitatives or instrumental symphonies apart from the overture, were printed by Walsh in the Songs in the Opera Call'd Arsinoe Queen of Cyprus, [1705], which describes many of the songs as 'Set by Mr Tho Clayton'. It has been suggested (Loewenberg, op. cit.) that Clayton did not compose the music but adapted a collection of Italian airs. It is also known that he was assisted in the preparation of the opera by Charles Dieupart and Nicolino Haym (Nicoll, op. cit.). Paper; ff. iii+109. Quarto. Circ. A.D. 1705. Blind-tooled brown leather binding with marbled end-papers. Inscribed 'Lib 1' on the front cover; other notes, on flyleaves: '£12/-/-' (f . i.); an 18th cent. note 'Opera Arsinoe en anglois' (f. ii); '1/590/' (f. iii). From the Farnborough Fund.