Who wrote the music for Rule Britannia?
Rule, Britannia! opening phrase of "Rule, Britannia!" in his choral work "The Music Makers", based on Arthur O'Shaughnessy's "Ode" at the line "We fashion an empire's glory", where he also quotes "La Marseillaise". Rule, Britannia! "Rule, Britannia!" is a British patriotic song, originating from the poem "Rule, Britannia" by James Thomson and set to music by Thomas Arne in 1740. It is strongly associated with the Royal Navy, but also used by the British Army. This British national air was originally included in "Alfred", a masque about Alfred the Great co-written by Thomson and David Mallet and first performed at Cliveden, country
Rule, Britannia! anglaises" for organ Op. 43, where he also makes use of the song "Home! Sweet Home!". Arthur Sullivan, perhaps Britain's most popular composer during the reign of Queen Victoria, quoted from "Rule, Britannia!" on at least three occasions in music for his comic operas written with W. S. Gilbert and Bolton Rowe. In "Utopia Limited", Sullivan used airs from "Rule, Britannia!" to highlight references to Great Britain. In "The Zoo" (written with Rowe) Sullivan applied the tune of "Rule, Britannia!" to an instance in which Rowe's libretto quotes directly from the patriotic march. Finally, to celebrate the jubilee of Queen