Tuesday 23 January 2018
Tune of the Day: Pray Goody
arranged for two flutes
This flute duet appears in Blake's Young Flutist's Magazine, published in 1833. It is an arrangement of an English tune of uncertain origin, an air to a song from Kane O'Hara's 1762 comic opera Midas. In the original book of words to the opera, the music of “Pray Goody” is stated to be “A tune in Queen Mab. The music for the pantomime of Queen Mab was composed by Dr. [Charles] Burney.” It is to be noted, however, that music to pantomimes was almost invariably selected music, so it is highly likely that Burney “borrowed” a preexisting tune.