Event Comment: Account Book: @Receiv'd of Vincent for Music Forfeits this season #21 11s. 10d.@Rece'v'd for stage forfeits this season #14 4s. 2d.@Receiv'd of Mrs Carne for ends of Candles & Oyl #70 6s. 7d.@Receiv'd of Proprietors of Public Advertiser #50@Receiv'd of Proprietors of Daily Gazetteer #50@Paid Vincent for Music Books #4 5s. 2d.@9 June@Rec'd Assurance on 50 Renter's Old Shares at 4s. 10d. each #12 1s. 8d.@Rec'd Assurance on 50 Renter's New Shares at 2s. 6d. each #6 5s.@15 July@Rec'd of His Majesty by Mr Mathias #40@Rec'd of Madam Schellenbergen by Ditto #9@Total Income 1768-69: #30,759 16s. 2 1!2d.@Total Expense 1768-69: #24,035 8s. 3d.@31 May: Paid Arnold Composer #50 13s.@2 June: Paid Kirkman for tuning #20@

Event Comment: Pit and Boxes to be laid together at 5s. First Gallery 3s. Upper Gallery 2s. Tickets to be had and places to be taken for the Boxes at Mr Sarjeant's (only) at the Stage Door of the Theatre. Books of the Performance will be sold there. The doors to be opened at Five. To Begin at Half past Six. Received of Toms and Arnold Charges of the House. #35

Event Comment: Oratorio Never performed. Music entirely new. Composed by Mr Arnold. Charges: #35

Event Comment: Receiv'd of Messrs Toms and Arnold for the use of the Organ this season #21; and for coals burnt at the Oratorios #2 2s. (Account Book). [There were 11 oratorio's. The average cost per night for heating the theatre these spring months would seem to have been about 3s. 9d.] Receipts: #157 5s. 6d

Event Comment: Post Season Accounts. Receiv'd from Vincent for Music Forfeits #24 8s. 4d. Expended: To Fisher for Music for Harlequin's Jubilee #26 5s. 30 May: Paid to Foulis for writing out Music #34 9s. 2 June: Paid to Shove for paper for Music #7 1s. Paid to Arnold for composing #61 19s. 15 June: Paid Kirkman for tuning Harpsichord #19 12s. Paid Simpson (hautboy) for special performances #67 4s

Event Comment: Oratorio, composed by Mr Arnold, not performed these two years

Event Comment: The Music [for The Magnet] entirely New Composed by Arnold

Event Comment: Words from Holy Writ...Music so admirable designed by Handel as to Beggar all description (Theatrical Review). Mr Ponta is Musician to his Serene Highness the Elector of Mentz. Tickets and places for boxes to be taken of Mr Sarjeant at the Stage Door. Box 5s. Pit 4s. First Gallery 3s. Upper Gallery 2s. Books of the performance sold at the Theatre. Doors to be opened at Five o'clock. To begin at half past Six (Account Book). [Messrs Toms and Arnold were putting on the Oratorios at Covent Garden this season.] Charges: #35 (Account Book)

Event Comment: Music composed by Mr Arnold...a very noble Piece of Composition; the airs are pleasing, and the chorusses majestically grand; upon the whole this is the most capital Performance in the Oratorio style Mr Arnold has produced (Theatrical Review, p. 218). Charges: #35 (Account Book)

Event Comment: Oratorio Never performed. Music composed by Arnold. [See account in The Westminster Magazine for March.

Event Comment: A Sacred Oratorio composed by Arnold

Event Comment: At the Crown and Anchor. A Religious Allegorical Poem to be rehearsed, yet in Manuscript, and by the author himself the Reverend George Marriott after the example of the most ancient bards and minstrals, with the assistance of a full orchestra, and vocal performers in the chorusses. The Band conducted and the music (entirely new) composed by Arnold. Postponed by reason of unforseen difficulties in preparing sufficient musical copies of the great number of chorusses. To begin at 7:00 p.m. Prices a quarter guinea each

Event Comment: A Sacred Oratorio composed by Dr Arnold; The Building cannot be seen for less than 5s. for each person. Ninth Night of the Subscription concert

Event Comment: Comic Musical entertainment. Never performed before. Music composed by Arnold. The Composer's night. To begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets 3s. 6d. The Gardens will be splendidly illuminated with many thousand additional lamps of various colors

Event Comment: A Sacred Oratorio composed and conducted by Dr Arnold at the Society of Artists Exhibition-Room in the Strand. A Benefit for repairing a Chapel Crispin St, Spittalfields. At 12:00 noon. First seats 7s. 6d. Second seats 5s. Back seats 3s. 6d. The Performers are so obligingly generous as to give their Services to promote the Charity. And Mr Leoni having obtained Leave to sing, the Public may be assured of his performing his Part in this Oratorio. A Stove is already fixed in the Great Room, and will be continued to prevent any Inconveniencies from the Coldness of the Season. Mr Fischer being ill, Mr Barthelemon will perform in his Room

Event Comment: Oratorio (composed by Dr Arnold) never performed there

Event Comment: Mainpiece: With a New Scene and New Dresses. Afterpiece [1st time; CO 2, by Charles Dibdin and Edward Thompson. Thompson's name does not appear on the title-page of the text; it has been added by J. P. Kemble on the half-title of his copy now in the Huntington Library]: The Music chiefly composed by Dibdin [Public Advertiser, 15 Nov.: Three of the airs and the finale were composed by Samuel Arnold; one air by John Abraham Fisher]. With New Scenes [ibid: by Dall, Richards, and Carver], Dresses and Decorations. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Account-Book, 7 Feb. 1777: Paid Dibdin in full for copyright of the Seraglio #20; ibid, 2 June 1777: Received of Cooper for Songs & Books sold of The Seraglio #19 10s. 9d. [Mrs Ward was from the Birmingham theatre]. Receipts: #221 11s. 6d. (219.7.0; 2.4.6)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Never acted here. [Mrs Armstead is identified in Morning Chronicle, 16 May. Prologue by George Colman elder (Collection...of English Prologues and Epilogues, II, 207).] Afterpiece: Not acted these 20 years. With a new Overture, the Original Prologue [by David Garrick], and a New Scene, in which will be introduced an air. With a Grand Jubilee-Pageant, in Honour of Gulliver. The Music, Dresses, Scenes, Trophies and Decorations entirely new. The Music composed by Dr Arnold. ["Lilliput was altered by Garrick (its author), and a procession of cards introduced in it, Gulliver walking as the Knave of Clubs" (Gilliland, I, 121-22). London Chronicle, 16 May, gives a synopsis of this pageant.] The Doors to be opened at 6:00. To begin at 7:00 [same throughout season]. Places for the Boxes to be taken at the Theatre. After this Evening the Entertainments of this Theatre will be discontinued till further Notice, on account of the Performers employed at Drury Lane Theatre [see 28 May]

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; BO 3]: Being the Sequel to The Beggar's Opera, Written by Gay, with Alterations [by George Colman elder; the overture (a compilation of airs from The Beggar's Opera) and 6 new airs by Samuel Arnold]. Books of the Opera to be had at the Theatre. [Mrs Colles is identified on playbill of 9 July.] Public Advertiser, 20 June: This Day is published Polly (1s.)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; PAST 3]: Taken from [The Winter's Tale, by] Shakespeare [altered by George Colman elder]. Afterpiece: Likewise taken from [A Midsummer-Night's Dream, by] Shakespeare. Books of both pieces to be had at the Theatre. The Musick of both pieces by the most eminent Composers [i.e. Michael Arne, Dibdin, Dr Burney, Hook, Theodore Smith, Dr Arnold]. The Characters new dressed

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; burl 2, by Charles Dibdin, based on The Loves of Mars and Venus, by Peter Anthony Motteux]: With New Scenes and Dresses. The Music chiefly composed by Dibdin. [Dr Arne and Dr Arnold each wrote one air.] Books of the Burletta to be had at the Theatre. Public Advertiser, 5 Feb. 1778: This Day at Noon is published Poor Vulcan! (1s.). [The playbill lists Reinhold in place of Mahon, but on the Kemble playbill his name is deleted and a MS annotation substitutes Mahon's.] Receipts: #232 5s. 6d. (230.2.6; 2.3.0)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; CO 2, by Miles Peter Andrews]: The Overture from the celebrated Fire and Water Music of Handel. The new Airs and Chorusses by Dr Arnold. With new scenes by Rooker. Books of the Songs may be had at the Theatre. Public Advertiser, 8 July 1780: This Day is published the Songs in Fire And Water! (6d.). Ibid, 22 July 1780: This Day is published Fire And Water! (price not listed)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; MF 1, by James Cobb; music by Samuel Arnold. Larpent MS 530; not published]: Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre

Event Comment: Mainpiece: The Overture and New Musick composed by Dr Arnold