Susannah Maria Arne

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Susannah Maria Arne, also known as Susanna Maria Cibber (1714 – 1766) was a celebrated English singer and actress, the sister of the composer, Thomas Arne.

She was born in London, and made her debut in her brother's first opera, Rosamund, in 1733. A contralto (though initially a soprano), she was admired by Handel, who wrote parts specially for her in Messiah and Samson. Her other Handel roles included David in Saul and parts in performances of Deborah and Hercules. Charles Burney says that Handel "was very fond of Mrs Cibber, whose voice and manners had softened his severity for her want of musical knowledge".^[1] Handel patiently taught her parts note by note as she could not read music.^[2]

She also sang in several of her brother's operas, including Rosamund, The Opera of Operas, and Dido and Aeneas. Her début as an actress was in the title role of Aaron Hill's Zara, with great success. At this time, she also performed Shakespearean roles: these she later to continued to perform with Garrick.

In 1734, she married Theophilus Cibber, the son of playwright Colley Cibber, and became known as "Mrs Cibber" for professional purposes. Cibber was reportedly abusive and a profligate spender, and even began selling off some of his wife’s wardrobe and personal effects to deter creditors, though he also considerably refined her acting. In order to pay rent, the Cibbers took in a wealthy tenant named William Sloper. The resultant relationship between these three people led to a notorious lawsuit in 1738, in which Cibber accused his wife and Sloper of adultery. Various versions of the scandal suggest that all three may have been involved in a menage a trois. One account states that Cibber threatened his wife at gunpoint to sleep with Sloper; another places a spy in a closet at the scene of one of their trysts, in order to gather testimony for the lawsuit. In any event, Cibber was awarded a paltry £10 in damages. The following year, Cibber brought a second case against Sloper for "detaining" his wife. In fact, Mrs Cibber and Sloper had run off together, and had had a child. This time Cibber was awarded £500.

Mrs Cibber moved to Dublin, and in 1741, joined the premiere performance of Handel's Messiah. Though she was not a particularly accomplished vocalist, reviews were positive; Burney wrote of her singing that "by a natural pathos, and perfect conception of the words, she often penetrated the heart, when others, with infinitely greater voice and skill, could only reach the ear." Legend has it that Dr Patrick Delany, the chancellor of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, upon hearing her sing "He was despised" from Handel's Messiah, proclaimed "Woman, for this be all thy sins forgiven thee!"

The scandal eventually died down, and Mrs Cibber returned to London to have a successful career as a tragic actress at Drury Lane, the theatre managed by her father-in-law, where she appeared with David Garrick. "Then tragedy dies with her", Garrick is said to have exclaimed upon hearing of her death. She is one of few actresses buried in Westminster Abbey.

[edit] References

• Molly Donnelly. "Susannah Maria Arne", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed 6 July 2007), grovemusic.com (subscription access).